A Dance with the Devils
by Katherine Wyatt
Summary: Edward Seymour & Anne Seymour nee Stanhope were always known as a very ambitious, perhaps slightly evil, power couple... here's a further look at their relationship.
1. The Earl of Nowhere

"Who is he, Richard?" Anne asked, her arms crossed firmly over her chest. Her dark eyebrows raised at her father in judgment. Anne was more than curious to know who her eldest brother had gone and had her betrothed too. "Is he even anyone important? You know, I am descendant of Edward III himself, a _direct_ descendant! I will not marry some nameless nobody!"

Anne's eldest brother, Richard Stanhope, sighed, crossing his arms in almost the same manner as his sister. Their stubbornness was a trait they had both inherited from their late father, Sir Edward Stanhope. He looked down at her as she stood before him. He thought to himself that she looked much like her mother, his stepmother. "I am well aware of your mother's privileged bloodline, Anne, and no matter the man's title, surname or bloodline, you will marry him. You have no say or choice."

Anne retained her anger at her brother's words, and continued to hold her eyebrows up at him. "Tell me his name, Rich. I will not be even the least bit pleased until I hear his name."

Richard rolled his eyes at his sister, and uncrossed his arms, resting his hands on his hips. "Edward Seymour, Anne. The son of Sir John Seymour, of Wiltshire."

Her mouth dropped open in complete shock and disgust. "A Seymour? Really? You've gotten me betrothed to a damned Seymour boy? Father would have wanted better than that, Rich!"

Richard found himself crossing his arms once more in frustration. He hated Anne for bringing up his father in this scenario, so he ignored her comment. "Yes, Anne and you will marry the damned Seymour boy whether you like it or not. You know you have no choice, so don't get yourself in a huff over it. He will be coming by later today…" Richard turned away from Anne before he could get in a fight with her. She was so demanding and hard to please, but since they had no father, he had to have her married off. She couldn't live at home without a husband for the rest of her life! Even marriage to a Seymour boy was better then that.

"But Rich!" Anne protested as he began to walk away. She followed after him quickly and stood in front of the door, blocking it with her arms spread out, her back pressed against it. "How could you marry me, your most beautiful and only sister, off to a stupid, useless, no name, Seymour! Surely there are much greater suitors out there? Like a _Howard_ or something a little bit better than a Seymour?"

Richard sighed and looked at Anne, in her dark eyes. "I am not budging on my decision. Papers have been signed, and the deal is done! You're marrying Edward Seymour and that's that! Now will you let me pass?"

She did not move from the door, not yet. She wanted to get all she had to say out before her brother could force her to marry the wretched man. "He probably isn't even well known at court! He probably doesn't have money, either! Are you really going to willingly send me to live on the streets with this man?" She looked at him with wide and falsely innocent eyes.

He sighed once more and nodded his head once firmly at her. "He will have enough to provide for you, I'm sure. We've paid the dowry; certainly that money will be put to some use for the two of you. Now, I've had enough of your if's, and's and but's, move out of my way, Anne. We're done speaking now. You must get ready for Edward's visit."

Anne accepted defeat, there was nothing she could say or do that would convince her brother to call of the marriage now, for some strange reason he seemed to have his mind set on marrying his only sister, a direct descendant of Edward III of England, to a meager, useless Seymour boy, who probably could not even call himself a courtier. She could see it now; they would have no money, and he would be some sort of disgusting pig that would treat her with no respect. She had always dreamed of being married off to a Howard boy, or even a Percy. She would have been showered in gifts every day, as if it were Christmas all year around. That had been her ideal marriage, her ideal future, her ideal life, but instead she was stuck being wed to Edward Seymour, Earl of Nowhere.


	2. A Perfect Match

Edward Seymour arrived at the Stanhope residence at Sudbury in Suffolk later in the day. He found himself very anxious and even, perhaps, a bit nervous to meet his future wife. He had not that long ago, managed to get an annulment from his first wife, Catherine Fillol. The woman had been cheating on him with his own father, and it had disgusted Edward beyond all belief. He had thought, in his youth, that he had loved Catherine, but when he discovered her nasty and wretched ways, he soon realized that it had not been love at all. He sent Catherine off to a convent where she was imprisoned and their two children were declared bastards. They could've been his brother's for all he knew.

Edward, naturally disgusted by his father after the whole ordeal, set out to arrange his second marriage himself, luckily stumbling into the eldest of the two Stanhope brother's, Richard, and from there Edward found it very easy to arrange a marriage with his apparently appealing and well bred half-sister, Lady Anne Stanhope. He had not expected for the marriage to be agreed to so quickly, but Richard seemed keen to marry the girl off. Now, he was going to meet his new future wife, and he only hoped that this woman would not be a cheating, incestuous whore like his last one.

"Edward!" Richard greeted him happily as he came down the staircase in his home to Edward, who stood in the middle of the entrance hall.

Edward nodded his head to Richard. "Richard." He said. He was never one to be overly friendly with men. Even with his brother's, he didn't hold the best relationship, especially with Thomas. They were constantly arguing about something.

Richard kept a smile on his face, despite the rather cold greeting he had received from Edward. He realized now that he was certainly not a good matchmaker; Anne and him both seemed to be rather cold people, which could not be a good trait for lover's to share. "I believe Anne is ready to see you. I'll go fetch her; do you want to wait in the drawing room over there? It's to your right. I'll be right back." Richard turned on the stairs and headed up them, toward Anne's chambers.

Edward looked to his right and saw the room Richard had indicated. He walked over and entered it, taking a seat on one of the chairs that sat directly in the sunlight. He placed his hands on his lap and waited, waited for his future bride to come. He could only hope that she was not like his last as he waited, because there was no way of getting out of it now. He was not in the mood to go through with another annulment either. _Oh God, please give me some sort of saint this time! I'm twenty-eight years old; I need to find a good wife. _

Edward's wait for Anne to come downstairs felt like eternity. In actuality, it had taken some time for Richard to convince her to go down at all. She had made quite a fuss, and had even thrown a fancy statue of her mother's at her brother, before eventually being forced downstairs by Richard and her other brother, Michael. Richard ordered Anne to go to the drawing room and she obeyed, cursing her brother's as she stalked away.

The sunlight that came through the windows that day was very bright. Edward found himself squinting very hard to see the girl, his betrothed, as she entered the room. He stood up from his seat as a sign of respect and as she came closer, he was finally able to get a good glimpse of her. "My Lady Anne." He said, inclining his head slightly to her. It was not difficult for him to greet her like it had been with her brother. She was beautiful, picturesque if you will. He wanted to be kind to her, to court her and impress her, and they hadn't even spoken yet!

Anne placed herself into a comfortable little curtsey and then rose as Edward reached for her hand. She was very surprised by his boldness, and found herself giving him a small smirk. "Mister Seymour. It is a pleasure to meet you."

He returned her devilish little smirk and put on his best charm, hoping to do nothing but woo her. "It is more of a pleasure for me to meet you, Lady Anne." He took her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. He then dropped her hand and looked around. "Would you like to sit down?"

Anne's first reaction had been pleasant surprise, but now she was a bit annoyed. This was _her_ home and _her_ drawing room, not his. How dare he offer her a seat in her own house, how rude! She bit her tongue a bit however, trying to repress her anger. She was going to have to be somewhat easy on him; after all, there was no escaping from her binding contract. "Surely." She replied. She took a seat in the chair across from his, sitting up straight and proper like any proper young lady should.

Edward followed her example and sat back down in his seat. He had never smiled for this long in his life, yet he was having some trouble getting the smirk off his face. The idea of having a faithful and beautiful wife was one that clearly pleased him very much, and he could not hide that from her, it seemed. "You are very beautiful, my lady."

"Thank you, sir." Anne replied simply. It was often that she heard such praises from men, so she was not overly complimented by his words. He would certainly have to do more than that to impress her. She wasn't some dainty broad that could be impressed by a few smooth comments and she certainly hoped he didn't see her that way, because then he would be very surprised, when they were married and lived together, how opposite from that she was. "Will you tell me about yourself?" She asked, not out of curiosity however. She felt that he seemed to be very bland and boring. It seemed he was one of those stupid men who was soft and useless, and she already felt slightly repulsed. Her initial reaction must have been completely wrong.

Edward nodded his head once, courteously. "Of course, my lady. I'm the son of Sir John Seymour, Sheriff of Wiltshire, and I have several other siblings. I'm the oldest son. I live at court right now, and if I might add," Edward said, his true self being revealed slightly with this single comment. "I'm currently in His Majesty, the King's good favour." He smirked pompously for a moment and Anne caught a good glimpse of who her future husband really was. Perhaps he wasn't as boring as she had just thought. On the contrary, he seemed like he may be an ambitious man. "And what about yourself, my lady?"

Anne sat up a little straighter in her seat, and turned her head on an angle as she spoke to him. Although she was talking, Anne watched as Edward's eyes wandered a long her body for a moment, before gluing themselves to her gaze. "I am the daughter of Sir Edward Stanhope of Subury, and Elizabeth Bourchier. I am a direct descendant of King Edward III of England, and I have two half brothers. I know you have met Richard, but there is Michael too. I spent some of my childhood in the company of Princess Mary, and we are quite good friends." She smiled a little, batting her eyelashes slightly. "Is there anything else you'd like to know, mister Seymour?" She wanted to be the one asking the questions, so she hoped he'd give up the position so she could begin to poke and prod at him, and reveal more of that ambitious side of him that she had got a glimpse of for only a few moments.

Edward returned her small smile, and sat back a bit in his chair. He tried to rack his brain for other things he could ask her, but the way she was sitting, and that little smile, the tilt of her head; he could not think of much but her, and those luscious looking lips. "I cannot say I do, Lady Anne. You sound like a very well bred woman. Do you have any questions for me?"

She nodded her head. "I have many." She said, smiling bigger now. "I want to know as much as I can about my future husband. You must understand that, don't you, mister Seymour?"

"Of course, Lady Anne." He replied, now leaning forward in his seat slightly. It seemed that this woman was not like his last, Catherine, at all. Instead, she seemed to have some personality in her, some feistiness. She knew what she wanted right now, and she was going to get it. She had drive, or maybe it was more like a _hunger._ Whatever it was, it was definitely drawing him in, and since Catherine, he had made very sure that any more stupid whores did not draw him in and wrap him in their web. He could tell that Anne was no whore though, and she certainly wasn't stupid. He hoped that she did not think he was easily manipulated, because he wasn't, and she would not find him wrapped around her fingers at any time in their marriage. "Fire away."

She giggled and clasped her hands together on her lap, sitting forward in her seat too. "What do you like to do in your spare time?" she asked. Questions were beginning to form in her head out of curiosity, and she was astounded to realize that she was actually interested in this Seymour boy's life. She wanted to know him, the _real_ him, and she hoped he would not hide that side of him from her. "Be honest."

_Be honest? _He thought, questionably. _If she is sure…_ "I like to hunt or just go out on a ride. I really enjoy any sport, archery to jousting." He thought for a moment, looking around the room. "I don't know, I am open to new things." He said, looking back to her. "What else would you like to know? That was such a simple question."

Anne raised her eyebrows at him. "Was that too simple for you mister Seymour?" She asked, smirking. "So you like a challenge, then?"

He shrugged, as if a challenge were nothing to him. She had guessed right, however. Edward enjoyed a good challenge, and he certainly didn't like to meet failure. "I do. I'm quite fond of challenges, and I like to be the best at everything I do. I'm a little bit of a sore loser, I suppose, except when it comes to things with the King, of course, as I believe he's the biggest sore loser of us all."

Anne nodded her head as she listened with interest to his words. He had said what she had wanted to hear; the truth and he had openly revealed his eagerness to be the best at all. She suddenly found herself oddly attracted to the man, and she need not wonder why. She had found what seemed to be a sort of perfect match in Edward Seymour. "I like a man who can hold his own, and who likes to get what he wants." She admitted, equally as honestly as him. If one of them was going to be honest, they might as well both be. They were going to be married after all, best to let it all out in the open. "I also like to get what I want."

A devilish grin appeared on his face. "I like a woman who likes to get what she wants." _God has answered my prayers…_

She burst into a fit of giggles, covering her mouth after a few moments of laughter. She looked shyly up at him, batting her eyelashes seductively. "May I ask a more personal question?"

He nodded, having no objections to her request. He had no idea what she was going to ask, but he secretly hoped it was something naughty. _My mind has gone to the gutter now! What powers this woman has over me!_

"Why did you get an annulment, from your last wife?" She asked, curiosity getting the best of her. Now that she felt some attraction for the man, she was interested to know what exactly had caused him to annul his last marriage. She hoped that the question did not anger him in anyway, you know, in case she had been a cheating whore.

He leaned back in his seat and sighed a bit. Normally, he would've gone into a fit of rage when asked such a question about his ex-wife, but because it was Anne, and because she already had some sort of magical power of him that he wasn't, at this moment, able to escape, he replied with ease, instead of frustration. She was curious, as was he, and curiosity never hurt anyone, did it? Plus, she had the right to know as his future wife, what would be allowed and what would be disallowed in their marriage. "That fucking whore…" he began, though his voice was surprisingly calm. "That stupid bitch, she went behind my back and slept with another man. Do you know who that man was, Anne?"

Anne shook her head. It could have been anyone! She knew very little of the story, only what her brother had managed to gather from Edward's own word and gossip.

"It was my fucking father." He said, his voice slightly louder now, but still relatively calm. He felt disgusted in himself, spitting out those words, it reminded him of the event and he hated to be reminded of it, but something about Anne's presence was making him calmer than normal, and he did not feel the usual rage he did when speaking of the generally taboo topic.

Anne opened her mouth a little, sitting on the edge of her seat. "That fucking whore!" Anne almost whispered, though due to her proximity to Edward, he heard her, loud and clear. She quickly covered her mouth, her cheeks going slightly scarlet in embarrassment. "Oh God, Edward, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let that slip out."

He let out a bark of a laugh, grinning at her. That had not been the reaction she had expected from him, at all. She felt like quite an idiot for having been embarrassed for her comment. If they were as much alike as she thought, then comments like that was something that would occur often. She uncovered her mouth and relaxed a little, chuckling as he laughed. "Don't worry Anne," he said, leaning forward to put a hand on her knee. It was probably meant to be a comforting gesture, but the minute his hand touched her leg, even though her gown covered her skin, Anne could feel all the hairs on her body stand up. "It was funny. You know, it's not often that I get to have a good laugh."

"I feel your pain." Anne sympathized, as she looked down at her hand, which was still on her knee. It seemed like some sort of magnetic force was pulling them together, and neither of them was strong enough to break from it. She had to pull her eyes away from his hand with all her might to look him in the eyes. "It's hard to find people with a good sense of humor these days. I suppose because my sense of humor is rather crude and -"

"And dry?" he asked, smirking as he cut her off.

She giggled. "Yes, and dry, you stole the words right out of my mouth, mister Seymour." _We really are alike…_she thought. _We could be dangerous together. _

"I liked it when you were calling me Edward." He said, honestly, his hand now stroking his knee. He had not even thought to do it, his body had initiated the movement on it's own. _What has gotten into me? Too long without sex? Fuck, she's so, perfect for me, I can't fucking help it. _

"I enjoyed calling you by name too, _Edward._" She replied. "However, I find that mister Seymour is sort of naughty, don't you?" She winked at him and felt her own heart begin to melt as he stroked her knee. The feeling that was coming over her was completely new. Anne was no virgin when it came to flirting with men, she had actually become quite practiced in it over the years, but she was, however, truly untouched by man. Edward's hand stroking her knee was quickly becoming a lot for her body to handle, and he wasn't even touching her bare ski- oh wait… now he was. He had snuck his hand up her gown a bit, and was not resting his hand on her bare knee. _Oh dear God…_

He chuckled as he continued to rub her leg from under her gown. She had basically invited him without actually inviting him, mentioning the word _naughty_ and all. He could be naughty, and he could tell that she certainly could too. _Today has been a gift from God!_ "It definitely is. I guess it's up to you then, call me what you want. If you want to be naughty, Anne…" he said, now on the edge of his seat too. He was whispering now. "I'll make sure you get what you want."

His hand was now beginning to stroke the bottom of her inner thigh. Anne could feel her legs beginning to tremble slightly at the thought of what would come after that. _Well certainly nothing! We're in my drawing room, my brothers are home, and there are servants about! _She thought, arguing with herself in her head. She did not believe it possible that they could go much further then this today but she was not sure how long she could last before they could. She almost blurted out, 'when's the wedding?' but she didn't want to seem overly desperate for his touch, not yet at least. She would give into him at the last minute, on their wedding night, right before they consummated their marriage. Just the thought was making her begin to feel a bit hot and heavy. She leaned her head close to Edward's, wishing that she had closed the door when she had come into the room. Even a little bit of privacy could have given them more freedom to explore their newly found attraction; she was _dying_ to explore it. "I would like that very much, mister Seymour…" she whispered in his ear, her lips almost touching his earlobe. He could feel her breath on him as she spoke each of her words slowly. "Will that be giving you what you want, giving you what you _desire,_ in turn?"

Edward felt like a dog, nodding his head quickly in response to her words. He began to stroke her inner thigh with more passion, and he wished that she had closed the door when she had come in. "You will be fulfilling my deepest desire, Anne. I want you, so bad." He admitted in whispers. He then looked her in the eyes, seriously. "I came her expecting to meet a good wife, one who was at least better behaved than my last, and I have found instead in you, my perfect match."

"I know…" Anne said, not knowing really what else to say. Edward had been married before, so he was good with this serious talk kind of thing, she wasn't as good at it. "Oh God, Edward, I know. We are so alike, I was expecting you to be horrid and bland, and you are not like that at all and, I want you too. I've never… _wanted_ someone before, but now I can see that feeling, that of wanting someone, is not hard to distinguish." She put a hand on his arm and rubbed it, looking into his eyes. The need she had for him was getting a little out of control and they had just met, but they were seemingly meant for each other and it could be predicted that two soul mate's first encounter could get slightly out of control.

Edward was feeling more excitement than he had, probably ever. He knew for sure now that what he had with Catherine in the past was nothing. Nothing compared to what Anne and him would have in the future. They had only known each other for just under an hour and they already had found out they had everything in common, and they were also both already restraining themselves from ripping each other's clothing off. _If we were anywhere else right now, we would be naked._ Edward, with all his strength, removed his hand from her thigh, feeling her muscles shaking as he pulled away. If someone had walked by, well, it wouldn't have looked very good for either of them, so he had to cut himself off. Plus, he had more important things to do. He placed his hands on both of Anne's cheeks and pulled himself closer to her so that he could lay both his lips on hers. He ended their kiss for only a few seconds, letting the effect of their first kiss sink in, before pulling himself closer once more and putting his tongue into her mouth. He could not resist. Her lips were so sweet, and she was so wonderful. He let his one hand glide over her cheek to the nape of her neck. Her skin was so soft on his fingers, he could only imagine what the rest of her body would feel like…

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and both Anne and Edward were startled out of their kiss, sitting up straight in their seats, and leaning away from each other. Anne turned her head towards the door as she quickly threw her hands onto her lap. "Who is it?" she asked.

Her brother, Richard, then poked his head into the room. "It's me, I just wanted to see how everything was going?" He seemed completely oblivious to the fact he had just interrupted a very passionate moment between the two people that sat in front of him. He smiled warmly at both of them.

"Oh, Richard, things are…" Anne looked to Edward for a moment, and the back to her brother. "They're great." She said, even allowing herself to smile. _I hope this soft side of me doesn't show all the time now, oh god. _

Richard smiled at his sister, completely amazed to see her smiling. Had she not just been complaining and throwing things at him because this man was a Seymour? Clearly the Seymour's had some special tricks up their sleeves, or skills of some sort, because it seemed that Anne was truly happy, something Richard had not seen his half-sister be in some time. He did not respond to Anne yet, but instead, looked to Edward.

Edward could feel Anne's brother's gaze on him, and he looked at him for a moment with a cold expression. "Things are excellent." He said, nodding his head. He then stood up from his seat, and found Anne rising with him. He was still looking at Richard however, but his peripherals were on Anne. "I was actually just going to tell Anne I have to leave. I have some thing's to attend to at home."

"Oh, alright, well, I'll have them ready your horse then." Richard said, walking away from the room, leaving the two alone again.

"You're leaving?" Anne asked, her voice sounded a little upset.

Edward took her hand and pressed it to his lips and then, still holding her hand in his grasp, leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, and then, looking once toward the door before, on the lips. "Yes, I must go, but I will see you soon, Anne."

"Alright, if you must but, when is soon?" she asked, her heart pounding in her chest as she looked up at him under her eyelashes.

"When we will be wed; soon. Ask your brother, him and I will arrange everything and he will tell you." He told her. He kissed her on the cheek once more and squeezed her hand. "It will be as soon as possible, I promise."

Anne nodded her head, her heart pounding so heavily she could not bring herself to speak. She smiled softly at him and let him drop her hand, though unwillingly. She then eyed him carefully as he bowed to her, like such a gentleman, and then walked out of the room. She stood there for several minutes, until her brother eventually returned from outside and came in to find her completely speechless in the middle of their drawing room. He raised a curious eyebrow at her.

"What are you doing?" he asked, clueless still. "I see that you enjoyed the Seymour boy more than you thought?"

Richard's words awoke Anne from her daze and she turned her hawk eyes to him. "Perhaps." She said, neutrally. She was certainly not going to share with her brother the details of her interest in Edward Seymour. She preferred that he remained clueless in the situation. Anne began to walk towards the door, passing her brother without another word on the way out, leaving him speechless and confused.


	3. Longing for Seymour

The weeks between Edward and Anne's first meeting and their wedding were treacherous for Anne. She wished so badly to write to Edward, but she dared not give her brother the satisfaction of feeling like he had made a good match for his half-sister. He would be too proud, and on his high horse, Anne was not so fond of him. So, for weeks, Anne had to go without hearing a word from Edward directly, and she missed him dearly when she was alone.

Finally the day came when Richard came to her chambers with good news, after several weeks of stale air and nothingness.

"Richard!" Anne said, smirking as she opened the door. "Do you need something or are you just here to be bothersome?"

Richard laughed and shook his head. "I don't need something, but I haven't come to be bothersome. I've come to tell you we've confirmed the wedding date at last, for next week. You'll be married at Wulf Hall, in Wiltshire, Edward's family home."

Anne's reaction in her head was like fireworks, exploding in all different directions, but on the outside, she revealed none of this. She raised her eyebrows. "He couldn't pick a better venue?" she asked.

Richard shrugged his shoulders. "Is it really that important where you are married? I thought you were happy about this?"

"Happy?" she asked, laughing coldly. "I have told you since the beginning, Richard! I do not want to marry a Seymour boy! He is a no one! He has nothing and he never will! But it's fine; you can live with the thought that you left your wonderful half-sister to a poor courtier! Do not worry about me…"

Thankfully, Richard was completely oblivious and Anne was an excellent liar. He believed her every word, and sighed, once again beginning to feel like he had made a terrible match. "Oh Anne, come on, it won't be as bad as you're making it up to be. I saw you smile when you were with him, there must be _something_ there."

"There is nothing. I was merely being courteous to him, stroking his ego a bit, if you will. You men love that." She said, rolling her eyes. "Men are too easy to fool."

Richard furrowed his brow, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'd beg to differ."

A witchy laugh came out of Anne's mouth, like a beautiful but devilish song. "Oh, please." She said, shaking her head in pity of her brother. _What a fool._ "Get out of my room now, will you? I must prepare for my most royal wedding to mister Edward Seymour." Her tone was very sarcastic. She used her hand to shoo her brother away from her doorway, and he moved obediently. She then grinned at him and slammed the door in his face.

Once she was alone and no one could see her, Anne rested her back against the door and smiled, an honest and lovely smile, one of happiness. Finally these weeks of pain and longing would be over! Next week she would be married to Edward, and she would never have to see her idiotic half brothers again. She could be happy in Edward's arms, and in his bed… _At last I will get to have what I want, him! He will be all mine and no one else's. Should any other woman think that she is strong enough to steal him from my grasps, she will quickly find out that she is very wrong. I will have her head on a platter, or rather as a decorative addition to the walls of our new home, wherever it may be. I cannot wait till he is mine! _


	4. Goodnight, my Wife

"I have waited for this day for so long." Anne whispered heavily as Edward tossed her down on the bed. They were still at his family home, as they would not yet be able to acquire their own. Edward promised her that it would be soon though, and she believed him. By now, she would have been happy to live on the streets, as long as she was with him. _Okay, well maybe I lied a little there, but a small estate would meet my approval, surely. Okay… maybe a medium sized estate._

Edward grinned as he put his hands around her back and began to unlace her dress. "So have I, my sweet wife." The words felt so right to say. _This_ woman was his true wife, the one he was meant to be with. He should have met her before Catherine, but it was not a problem; he had her now, and she was his, and no other man's! His fingers did not fumble on the laces; he untied the gown as quickly as humanly possible and almost ripped the corset and top piece of the dress pulling it off her with such eagerness. "I have never wanted something as much as I want you." He began to kiss Anne's neck, as her beautiful chest and abdomen were finally revealed to his eyes. He went quickly down to her breasts and began to tongue her nipples passionately.

The delight of his tongue on her breasts, his hands on her body, was overwhelming, but Anne wanted more. She sat up a bit, against the backboard of the bed, as Edward continued to fondle her breasts, and she used her hands to pull his shirt off. She could now see clearly that he had not lied about his interests, his body showed that he was an avid sportsman.

Edward rose from Anne's breasts and came back to her lips, giving Anne a better angle at which she could undo his trousers and rip them off his body without a care in the world. She let her hands slide slowly down his chest to the front of his trousers and she slowly untied them. The suspense was making Edward die on the inside, and he could feel his masculinity pulsing. It had never been like that with Catherine, he had never wanted to rip her clothes off like this, like an animal. It's because Catherine had not been an animal, like him, she had just been a dirty slut with no morals. Anne, on the other hand, was some sort of beautiful, majestic animal, one however, that could not resist the temptation of his body. They were much like lions in his mind, both so powerful, the king and queen of their own world, dominant and well behaved while around others, but when they were alone at last, they were primitive and rampant.

Once Anne was able to untie Edward's trousers and slip them off his legs, Edward wasted no time in getting her skirts off. He wanted them both to be bare, in front of each other. He wanted to see her try to resist giving into him, though he knew she would not be able. In the bed, would be the only place Anne would probably ever give into his wants and needs, and do as she was bid, but he liked the idea of that.

Anne's legs had already begun trembling as Edward removed her skirts. That was it, there was nothing left to remove from each other's bodies, they were completely naked. Anne had worried a bit before hand that at this point, she would no longer know what to do, as she had never done this before, but as soon as she saw his naked body in front of her, instinct took over. She didn't need to think about what she had to do, her body was going to do it for her, without a thought.

Edward noticed the look of pure desire on Anne's face and, wrapping one arm around her back, flipped them over so she was over top of him. They kissed for a few moments, their bodies pressed against each other's firmly, but they could not fight the urge for very long. Anne slid down Edward's body, and placed her hand on his masculinity, looking up at him as she touched it. His eyes were wide as he looked back at her; he had a thirst for her he needed to quench, though he was not sure it was quenchable. He let his hands wander to her femininity for a few moments, which caused Anne to loosen her grip on his masculinity.

"Edward, oh my god…" she managed to mutter. If his hands alone could make her feel like that, she could not imagine how amazing making love to him would be. She would be screaming with pleasure the entire time.

Edward smiled a little, as he heard her call her name and he slowly removed his hand and brought both his hands to her sides to pull her on top of him. Anne did not fight his pull, and she became almost limp in his arms as he entered her. They moaned harmoniously.

From there, things just got vicious. Edward took the first few thrusts very slow, not wanting to cause his new wife pain, but he came to realize that Anne was strong, and he saw no expression of pain on her face like he had seen on Catherine's. He saw only pleasure, so he sat up a bit and brought her legs around his waist. He used his arms to thrust deeply into her, holding back no longer. He had wanted her so bad for weeks, since they had first met, and finally he had her. He was not going to waste him time taking things slow when neither of them wanted it that way. Anne's fingernails dug into his back as she whispered to him to go deeper and he obeyed. By the time Edward flipped Anne over again, so that she was on her back and he was over top of her, she was almost screaming. She grabbed one of the pillows and covered her face to stifle her screams as she remembered they were in his family house. Edward didn't seem to care much. He snickered to himself between moans as he remembered Thomas's room was closest to theirs, the poor lad.

With the last final thrusts, Edward made a scream so loudly with pleasure that not even the pillow could quiet her, and he too, found himself almost yelling as he finished. He could feel Anne's body shaking as he removed himself from her and laid down beside her on the bed. He was sweaty, exhausted and breathing so heavily it seemed as if he had just run for miles; it certainly felt that way. He turned on his side and looked to Anne, beaming with happiness. He put a hand on her cheek and brushed away some hairs that were stuck to her face, laughing. "You are amazing!"

Anne laughed too, like the whole situation was so incredibly good, it was funny. _Did that really just happen?_ "So are you…" she said, looking at him with longing. If she had not been so tired, she could have gone again, she _wanted_ to go again. "You've officially blown my mind, mister Seymour." She said, laughing again.

He laughed. "Thank you, Lady Seymour."

_Lady Seymour, that is who I am now. I am his wife and he is my husband. I am Lady Anne Seymour. _Anne smiled sweetly and leaned in to kiss him on the nose. "If we continue to go like this, I think that you will find our home full of children."

"I have no complaints. I would like to have my own children." He admitted. His two bastards were probably his own brother's, not his son's. He needed a child, his _own_ child and he knew Anne would give him one, or two, or ten! If this passion never died, she could give him an army!

Anne stroked his cheek. "So would I." She admitted, surprising even herself. "But not too quickly, I mean, we should have some time together, alone, without disruption, before having many children, and we will first need our own home, of course."

Edward nodded his head. "We will have one, I promise. Like I told you when I met, and, as I will remind you whenever I wish," he said, winking. "I am very much in the King's favour at this moment. I will find myself some way to make money."

"Good." Anne replied, happy that her husband made goals for himself. She knew he would achieve them too. _He is not fond of failure._ She thought. "I think we will enjoy each other's company."

"Maybe a little too much." He joked, grinning. He then kissed her on the forehead. "You have tired me out, mistress Seymour."

She laughed and turned over onto her back, looking up at the ceiling. "You have worn me out too, you know, but I am thankful because I have never felt so much pleasure in my life." She could still feel her body trembling slightly, but she found her body relaxing as Edward wrapped his arms around her. His head rested beside her ear.

"I will make you scream like that _every_ time." He assured her, whispering in her ear. Anne felt a shiver go down her spine and she turned to face the door, sighing a little in exhaustion as she did. "Good night, my wife." Edward said, kissing her cheek.

"Good night, husband." Anne whispered right before she dozed off in the arms of her new beloved.


	5. Head to Head

As the newly wed couple, Anne and Edward, had nowhere to live, Edward thought it best that, until they could find a proper home, they would live at court. Edward admitted to Anne that he was worried about his sisters, who were at court in service of that "evil bitch" Queen Anne Boleyn.

"I take it you don't like her much?" Anne asked, snickering as she sat in the carriage with Edward on the way to Whitehall.

"Our families aren't best friends." He replied, simply. The Boleyn's and the Seymour's had never been on good terms and it had gotten even worse lately, now that they were all at court. It severely annoyed Edward to see the Boleyn family rising so high, and more importantly, to see that whore, Anne Boleyn, who reminded him of his ex-wife, on the throne of England. "Us Seymour's almost had a celebration when she birthed a daughter and not a son. The King was furious." He remembered aloud, laughing to himself.

Anne laughed too. Other people's misfortunes generally made her happy, especially when they were other ambitious people getting in her way. "I don't think I like the Boleyn's much either. Anne's daughter stripped Princess Mary of her titles." She said, shaking her head in pity for her friend.

He nodded his head slowly, knowing that this only a small thing that the whore was capable of doing. She could wreak havoc on everyone if she wished, and the King would probably allowed her, though more recently, the King had shown signs of becoming bored of his wife once more. "I hear she's pregnant again, too. Probably with some other lad's child."

"Or another girl." Anne said, shrugging. "It's going to be dreadfully painful for me to be kind to her."

Edward snickered. He had already become so accustom to his wife's personality, she was so cold and hard; his perfect woman. "It is dreadfully dull and painful, but we have no other choice right now. Time will tell though…"

Anne raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean husband?"

"I mean that things may change. His Majesty has already gotten rid of one wife; don't you think getting rid of a second one would be even easier? Especially when she's such a harlot."

"Do you know something I don't?" She asked, her curiosity eating away at her. She wanted to know what corrupt ideas were floating about in Edward's head.

"I don't know anything for sure." He told her. "But the King does seem to be severely annoyed with her, but this feeling may have subsided for now because she is pregnant. If it's another girl though, or she miscarries…" He grinned, leaving the rest of the story up to Anne's mind.

"Then he will surely want to turn her in for the new model." Anne said, sneering.

"My thoughts exactly, wife, and we can only hope and pray that the whore doesn't give him a son, because then I fear we may have to deal with her a lot longer."

Anne laughed, agreeing with a nod. "If he chooses someone new though, what if it's just another whore like the Boleyn girl? I mean, if I have heard correctly, he went from one Boleyn to the next didn't he?"

Edward nodded. "He did, but I'm sure they planned that strategically."

"Who's to say they won't do it again?" Anne asked. She brought up a good point that Edward hadn't really considered. He had been hoping that this time, luck would be on his side, but he realized now that actions did speak louder than words, and certainly louder than thoughts.

He bit his lip in thought, considering her words. "We'll see, Anne."

She smiled, seeing the gears turning in his head made her want him so much more than she already did. _How I love a misbehaved mind._ She reached her hand out and put it on his knee, and then slowly slid her hand up his thigh, and over his masculinity. Edward flinched a bit, his teeth digging deeper into his lip. The only tease that could match Anne's skills was he. "Anne, we're almost there…" he half said half moaned.

A smile flickered on her face as she continued to grope him. "I know, I just don't want to wait any longer."

Edward smiled back at her, but then grabbed her hand, very much against his own will. "My brother and sisters will be waiting there for us and I don't want them to see me, like that." He meant weak, but he couldn't say it. He knew that she'd know what he had meant though.

"Oh, alright." She replied, understanding his reasoning. Anne didn't want to be all messy for when she met his siblings for the second time anyways. She had met them, all nine of them, at the wedding, but she had been much too focused on her new husband to think of any of them. Edward was different from them anyways, they all seemed like what she had originally classified the Seymour's as: nobodies and frankly she had no interest in nobodies, especially ones without ambitions.

"I'll come to your chamber tonight though, I promise." He assured her. He would not leave her hanging when she had a hunger for him like she did. He could not leave her like that, because his hunger was equal to hers.

Shortly after their conversation, the litter they had travelled in arrived at Whitehall, where they were let out, a servant coming to take their things into the palace for them. Edward and Anne found Thomas, Elizabeth and Jane, the three whom were at court, waiting at the doors of the palace. It was odd for Anne to watch Edward interact with his siblings, because it was much like watching herself. He did not smile or grin when he saw them he merely lifted a hand to wave for a moment, and then turned to Anne, smiling at her.

"I don't remember that one, was he at the wedding?" Anne asked, looking at Thomas of course.

"No, he wasn't." Edward replied, in what seemed to be an extra cold tone. "That's Thomas."

"I take it he's not your favourite?" Anne said, grinning to herself as they began to walk towards his siblings.

He let out a chipper laugh, but never replied. It was too difficult for him to explain his relationship to Thomas. It would have been extremely confusing had he tried to explain it in the few seconds he had before they were face to face with his siblings, so he decided it was a story that was better for another time.

"Edward!" One of the blonde girls called happily as their brother finally reached them. The one, named Elizabeth, if Anne recalled correctly, basically threw herself at him. _Eww…_ Anne was not crazy about sibling affection, as was obvious by her relationship with both of her brothers. It also disgusted her when women threw themselves at men like that, even if Edward was her brother. The other blonde one, Jane, was much more calm. She merely waved a hand to Edward.

"Thomas." Edward said, nodding his head to his brother, who looked quite a bit like him, but a bit longer. He was a tall boy for only… whatever age he was. Anne had no idea. She knew that he was younger than Edward at least, but there relationship seemed rocky and confusing.

"Edward." Thomas replied, though his mastery of the cold tone was not as good as his brothers. He seemed much more kind, and perhaps a bit more outgoing than Edward. Anne though he was a good-looking boy, like his brother, but he was missing the part of Edward that Anne loved; his personality. "Good trip?" he asked, his eyes flickering to Anne for a moment.

Edward nodded, watching his brothers' eye movements like a hawk. "Yes, it was good. By the way Tom, this is Anne, my _wife._" He said, smirking a bit, as if to say silently to his brother 'ha-ha, I've married a beautiful woman and you've got nothing!' Thomas did not react the way Edward had hoped however. Anne imagined that Thomas's lack of reaction to Edward's taunts was probably one of the things that caused their relationship to be so difficult.

Thomas turned to Anne and inclined his head like any gentleman should to a beautiful woman. He even dared to wink, which Anne was secretly impressed by. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Anne." He said, smiling at her.

Edward caught the wink and was not at all impressed. He put a hand behind his back and clenched his fist and for a moment, Anne though he was about to knock his own brother square in the face, right there, because he had winked at her. _What a man he is!_ She was not about to let him do it however; she took his hand behind his back into hers and stood closer to him. "It's a pleasure to meet you too." She replied. She was going to address him as mister Seymour, but she realized that probably would have angered Edward, as she had called him that and told him it was naughty. She did not want him to think that she was trying to be naughty with his own brother.

The current situation was tiring and annoying Edward, so he nodded curtly to his siblings. "I think that Anne and I will go inside now. Perhaps we will see you later."

Jane and Elizabeth nodded happily to their brother, clearly unaffected by the tension that remained between Thomas and Edward. "Goodbye Anne!" Jane said sweetly.

Anne merely nodded in reply, a tight smile on her face. She gave the same nod to Elizabeth, who merely waved to her, and then she smirked a bit when she looked at Thomas. Thomas smiled too, but only once Edward had begun to walk away, his hand still in Anne's, and he pulled her after him, into the palace.

Anne was not sure exactly how or what she thought of this _other_ Seymour boy. He seemed like he may have a charming side to him, but he was certainly not on the same level as Edward, personality wise. She couldn't imagine ever comparing the two. Edward was so headstrong, ambitious and keen, while Thomas appeared to be a bit of a softy. She did catch a glimpse of ambition in his performance, but she knew there was no way in hell it matched his brothers. _Thank God, I have married the right Seymour!_


	6. The Good Life

Dear Richard,

_I just wanted to inform you that Edward and I have finally found a home; he purchased a decent (not what I've always dreamed of, but I'll deal with it) manor at Elvetham in Hampshire. I just wanted you to know you can stop feeling terrible for leaving me on the streets (realistically, at court, but you should still feel like a terrible brother) for over a year. I hope this letter finds you and Michael in good health. _

_Anne Seymour_

Anne looked her letter over once and smirked. _Short and sweet._ She thought to herself, as she laid the paper back on the desk. She stood up and was about to change into her nightgown when Edward came bursting into the room, without knocking. Anne did not turn, though he entered with so much commotion. She continued to look down at her bed, where her nightgown lay. She played with the material. "Eager tonight?" she asked.

Edward barked a laugh and came closer to his wife, putting a hand on her cheek to turn her to look at him. "The whore miscarried." He said, beaming as he spoke. He leaned in and kissed Anne on the lips, full of happiness. "She miscarried!"

Anne's eyes widened a bit as she realized who he was speaking of; Anne Boleyn. "What? Are you positive? How do you know?"

He laughed again. "The King is in a fit of anger! Everyone back at the palace is aware of the news. This could be the beginning of something great."

"The fall of the Boleyn's?" Anne asked with her eyebrows raised.

Edward nodded. "Yes, wife! This could be the beginning of the end for those beasts. The King is more furious than I have ever seen him before. He tells every one of his advisors that he tires of her, and that he wished he had a reason to get rid of her. The clock is ticking for the whore, it really is."

"But do you have a plan?" Anne asked. He was so excited for the fall of the Boleyn's, for Anne to lose her crown, when realistically he had no idea what could happen after that. Like she had mentioned in their previous conversation concerning the whore, the same type of a woman could easily become the next Queen of England after Anne's fall if there was no plan to stop it from happening.

"Not yet." He admitted. Though he had Anne's words from their previous conversation stored in his memory, he had not yet though to expand on them. He didn't even know where to begin.

"Well, we must think then, because a plan is necessary in such a case. We still have time. I'm sure it will take the King some time to actually get rid of the whore. She'll try and hang on as best she can."

"Without a doubt." Edward agreed. He knew that getting rid of Anne Boleyn was not going to be easy. He touched his chin for a moment, thinking. He knew that His Majesty would want to marry again, there was no doubt there, as he still had no son, no Prince of Wales. "We need to place a proper candidate in his way, before another whore can get there. It is just the choosing of a candidate that is difficult."

Anne nodded her head, agreeing with him silently. She watched him rub his chin, and put herself into deep thought along with him. The King would only take the best looking women, so they would need to find someone who was beautiful yet not as out spoken as the Boleyn girl. They would need to find someone who would be a proper and obedient wife to the king, and not a whore, and who was capable of bearing him sons. That left them with very few choices as women these days were not as well behaved as they should be and there were few that made good wives.

An idea sprung into Anne's mind, though she was not sure how accepting of it Edward would be, but she figured she'd give it a shot anyway. "What about your sister?" she suggested, raising her eyebrows.

"Which one?" he asked, looking into her eyes.

"The quieter one, Jane, of course." Anne said. _Elizabeth could be just as bad as the Boleyn by the looks of her._

"She is almost thirty now…" Edward said.

"But she is a pretty girl, and she's obedient, or she seems as if she would be. She's not married is she?"

Edward shook his head. "No, she isn't."

Anne smiled. "Then why not put her in the way of the king? Don't you think that would be most prosperous for your, or _our_ family?"

He smiled a little at her words. He had nothing against putting his sister in the way of a man, especially the King, as long as it would be a rewarding venture, but at the moment they could not be sure of that. They would have to rely completely on luck, and hope that the kind would fall for Jane's simple beauty and tenderness. "It would be, as long as it works." He walked over to the window of Anne's room and looked out into the darkness for a moment. "We would have to put a lot of thought into it."

Anne followed him to the window and stood at his side, putting a hand on his shoulder. She looked up at him. "Yes, we would, but I would be willing to do all I can in such a situation."

He gave a curt nod of his head. "His Majesty has been telling me recently that he'd like to visit us, here, in Hampshire."

"Tell him to come then!" Anne insisted. "We can have everything arranged here, and, we can even invite your siblings to come out and stay whilst His Majesty is here, therefore placing Jane in his field of view."

Edward looked down at his wife, smirking. "You have a terribly corrupt mind, you know."

She grinned, as if his words were complimentary. "I know it is a trait we share. You cannot say it is a bad idea…"

"I think it is a _bad_ idea Anne, but the kind of bad idea I enjoy." He said, winking. "I will return to the palace tomorrow and send my invitation to His Majesty, and hope that he is still interested. I'll then write to you, and you can write to my siblings and invite them. Make sure they're aware that it's important, and that they should be on their best behaviors, specifically Thomas."

"As you wish, husband." Anne replied as she stood on her toes to kiss Edward.

Edward turned his body towards Anne and picked her up. "Now, we should go to your bed, and celebrate the rich future of our family."

Anne giggled and repeated her words from before. "As you wish, husband."


	7. An Excellent Idea

The King was surprisingly eager to visit the Seymour's home, due to his favoring of Edward. He was also happy to get a chance to get away from his harlot of a wife whenever possible, and this made Edward hopeful.

"Your majesty, I am very grateful that you have come to visit us here, and most honored of course." Edward told the King one night at dinner. Anne watched him with a mixture of delight and disgust, which was caused only by the fact that Edward was kissing the King's ass. _If he had not been betrothed to me, I see where his heart may have lied. _She thought, smirking to herself as she spun the wine around in the goblet she held.

"I like you a lot, Edward. I was eager to come visit you at your home, and meet your lovely wife." The King said, winking at Anne who smirked at his compliment. Henry let out a deep chuckle. "As you know, I was also eager to free myself from my wife's grasp."

Edward laughed with the king for a moment. Anne continued to watch them carefully, and listen to them. She wondered if, when the king spoke of his wife, that stupid whore, in such a demeaning way, Edward joined in? _For his sake, I pray he does not, for if I ever find out a bad word has been said of me I will punish him in unimaginable ways. _"Your majesty must be very glad to be get away from your wife."

"You have no idea!" Henry replied, letting out another laugh. He took a sip of wine from his goblet and then placed it back down on the table. He leaned closer to Edward, making it more difficult for Anne to hear him. "Sometimes I miss the life of a free man, if you know what I mean, but you might not," Henry said, leaning back and looking to Anne. "Since you have such an ideal wife. Beautiful, smart, well behaved." He smiled at Anne.

Anne sat up a little straighter in her seat, pushing her chest out a bit. It was more of a gesture to tease her husband than anything else. "Thank you for your kind words, your majesty. I am most complimented by your words."

Henry chuckled and nodded his head in reply. Beside him, Edward looked momentarily irritated. He hated to see any other man flirting with his wife, even the king, it appeared, though his love for His Majesty still held strong. He would be the only man he would allow it from, and nothing more than verbal compliments. _If he goes any further than this, I will become a most unfaithful servant. _"She is a wonderful wife, your majesty. As a mere courtier, I could not ask for more than I have received."

_Even if you were a goddamn duke you should not be asking for more! I would please a king, clearly! _Anne thought furiously, spinning her wine around at a faster pace. She smiled sweetly at her husband, batting her eyelashes.

"She seems lovely." Henry repeated, again looking to Anne. It was more than obvious that Henry was completely tired of his wife and wished to move on, but the fact that he was eyeing his wife with interest annoyed Edward. He would not have a cheating wife again, even if it were better with the king than with his own father.

Edward smiled, looking at the king, and then he too looked to Anne, his eyes fierce with irritation. Anne looked at him and almost let out a laugh at his expression, and his foolishness. Anne knew that she was perfectly capable of putting the king under her spell if she wished to do so, but she did not, which is what Edward was foolish enough not to realize. _I won't let him miss this opportunity because of childish jealousy._ "Your majesty," Anne spoke up. "Has Edward told you of his siblings?"

Henry tilted his head and then shook it, looking from Anne to Edward for a moment. "No he has not, my Lady Seymour. What is there to know of them?"

"He has many sisters, your majesty. One of them is here visiting with Edward's brother. I hadn't invited them for dinner tonight since I was not sure whether or not you were fond of more company." Anne explained, smiling. "I wished only to please your majesty." She added her last phrase in just to put Edward on his last nerve, and she watched his eye twitch as she spoke, with pleasure.

Henry looked surprised. "I had not heard of Edward's siblings until today." He turned to Edward in his seat, resting one arm on the table. "Why have you not told me that you have sisters?"

_Of course that is all he is interested in. _Anne thought, as she watched the two men interact. _Sisters, women! If he were not the King of England, I would lay my hand upon his face with a combination of speed and animosity. _Despite her disgusted thoughts, she was quite content with the King's reaction; he was falling into the trap, or so it seemed.

"My greatest apologies your majesty. I did not think it to be important." Edward replied.

"Women are always important!" Henry said, laughing. "Especially the sister of my favourite man of the moment."

Edward blushed a bit, feeling embarrassed, which was an odd sensation for him. He tried to brush it off as quickly as he could and return to his normal composure. _Think quickly, Edward…_ "Would you like to meet her, your majesty?"

"Your sister?" Henry asked, raising an eyebrow.

Edward nodded his head. "Yes, your majesty. My sister. She is here, I could call upon her, if you are interested in meeting her." He hoped he was not pushing the idea too hard, but judging by the smile on Anne's face, he proudly assumed that he was not.

"Go on then." The King insisted, shooing Edward with his hand, as if to say he should go fetch the girl himself. Anne smirked, but as Edward stood up, bowed and turned his back on the King, he sneered a bit.

Edward left the room momentarily, leaving Anne and Henry alone, which he was not happy about, but he knew that it was something he could not let bother him. He was going to get Jane so she could meet the King, and that was an important moment for their family, an important moment where he had to be willing to sacrifice leaving his wife along with the King for a few minutes.

Henry turned to Anne as Edward left the room. "He is a good man, your husband. I enjoy having him at court. Will you join him there?"

"If my husband allows it, your majesty."

"I can't see why he would not." Henry replied.

Anne, daringly, raised her eyebrows at the King. "I certainly can, _your majesty._"

Henry attempted to act confused by her words, but he knew very well what she meant. Court was not the best place for a loyal wife, especially when the King was throwing compliments at her. "Would he not trust you at court, Lady Seymour?"

"He would trust me just fine, your majesty. I am a most loyal wife to my husband, as he has never given me a reason to not be." Anne leaned closer to the King to whisper in his ear. "I think it is you that he would not trust, your majesty."

For a moment, Henry said nothing. He exhaled somewhat heavily, and then turned to look at Anne, who sat back in her seat. He put a hand on her knee, which reminded Anne of the first time her and Edward met. The memory was such a cherished one in her heart, it made her close her eyes, but she cringed as she realized it was not her beloved Edward touching her, but the King of England, the most powerful man in the world. Had she gone back in time, to before she had met Edward, she would have taken full advantage of this situation and seduced the man, but now, she could not. Though she would not admit it to anyone but him, she loved Edward and she would not betray him as long as he did not betray her.

"What are you doing, your majesty?" Anne asked, trying to keep her tone light. _If he were any other man in the world I would slap him! I would slap him so hard! _Part of her was praying for Edward to rush back into the room, Jane at his side, and save her, but then she was not sure if he would be angrier with her than the King, and the last thing she wanted right now was for him to be upset with her.

"Whatever I want." Henry replied simply. He needn't say more than he had. He was the King, free to do whatever pleased him, even if it was some other man's wife, a man who he favored and considered his friend.

"Your majesty, please, Edward's sister will please you to look at much more than I." Anne insisted, still trying to keep her tone light with him. "And she is not married."

Henry bit his lip, looking into Anne's fierce, dark eyes and then pulled his hand away, nodding his head. "Very well, Lady Seymour, if you wish for me to look at another woman, than I shall."

Anne sighed quietly in relief and looked to the doorway as she heard footsteps approaching. _Jane better be looking her best today…_ She did not bother to reply to the King's comment.

Edward and Jane entered the room, Jane following closely, quietly and obediently behind Edward who led the way towards the table. When he stopped walking, Jane came to his side and curtseyed in a way that impressed even Anne herself. The King watched Jane with careful eyes, taking in every detail of her body, her hair, and her face. He smiled to himself, and Anne was content to see that he looked pleased with Jane's appearance. Now it came down to her mannerisms, which seemed to be where the whore failed.

"Your majesty." Jane said, looking up at him. He motioned for her to stand up and she obeyed promptly, and with a smile.

Henry stood up from his seat and looked at Jane, investigating her further. As he did this, Edward moved around the table and took a seat beside Anne. "Is something the matter?" he asked. He had noticed upon entering the room that the colour was drained from her face. "You're not ill, are you?"

Anne hesitated for a moment. She wanted to tell Edward about what had happened, but she could not do it now, not in front of the King and not in the state of mind that she was in. Truthfully, the King's touch on her leg had made her feel sick to her stomach; it had not felt right to her. "I feel a little warm." She lied quickly.

"Should you return to your chambers?" Edward asked, raising an eyebrow slightly, the corner of his eye on Jane and the King.

Anne shook her head. "I think I'll be fine for now." She turned her attention back to Jane and the King, and smirked slightly. Edward followed her gaze and smirked too.

"This was an excellent idea." He said. Though he would not actually congratulate Anne for her mastermind plan, he would at least note the fact that her idea was excellent, which was enough for her. _He will say thank you by the end of tonight…_ she thought, her mind returning to its normal naughty state.

"I know." She replied, turning to look at him for a moment.

Henry turned suddenly to Edward, a smile on his face. "I have a request for you, Edward."

"What is it, your majesty?" Edward asked, standing up from his seat.

"I would like for Jane to come to court, and you and your wife as well, your whole family if it must be this way!" Henry said happily, looking to Jane for a moment, which smiled quietly at his side. The view painted a picture in Anne's head of Jane as Queen of England, replacing the whore beside Henry. _What a very perfect Queen she would be. _

Edward raised his eyebrows, somewhat surprised. "If that is what your majesty wishes… then certainly!" Edward glanced down at Anne for a moment, a smile on his face and then looked back to the King, who was once more distracted by his sister. He sat back down in his seat, and decided he need not say anymore. "An excellent idea…" he repeated again to his wife, who shone with happiness at his side.


	8. We Rise, We Fall

The Seymour clan made the move back to Whitehall a month later, in March 1536. Though Jane had been at Whitehall the first time Anne had gone, she had informed her on the trip over that she had merely been there visiting her sister and her brother, and did not know the palace well at all. She had returned to Wulfhall after her visit at her father's pleasure and was excited to at last be invited to be a lady-in-waiting. Jane also told Anne that she had previously been invited, along with her sister Elizabeth, to be a lady to the late Queen Katherine but her father had refused to allow her to go with her sister and had demanded that she stay at home. Jane had been furious with her father, but had obeyed his wishes. Now that her father was sickly, he could no longer object to her going, especially now that she was almost in her thirties.

When they arrived at the palace, Jane was given her own rooms close to the King's, one's that Anne Boleyn herself had stayed in before she had succeeded as Queen of England. Anne wouldn't admit it, not even to Edward, but she felt a tinge of jealousy when she saw the rooms and the gifts the King had given Jane. _It all could have been mine._ She thought, but in the end she was thankful she had made the decision she had, especially after the time she enjoyed with Edward that evening.

It did not take long for the King to come up with a believable reason for dismissing Anne from her position, and when it finally came down to it, her life as well. Five men were charged and arrested for treason, accused of having had a sexual relationship with Her Majesty, the Boleyn brother, George, included. He also got charged for incest. On the 2nd of Mary, 1536, the whore herself was arrested placed in the Tower of London and charged of incest with her own brother, adultery with the four other men and high treason.

The trials for each of the men lacked evidence, but the peers, who of course knew they had to agree with the King, did as they were bid to do and sentenced the men all to death by execution. On May 19th, Anne Boleyn was executed French style on the Tower green. Edward was present at the execution, but Anne was unable to attend because she had fallen ill. Edward had been worried about leaving her alone, but in the end, Anne convinced him to go, even as she lay in front of him vomiting profusely.

The day after the whore's execution, Jane and Henry were engaged. Edward and Anne were both in high spirits, due to the whore's execution, Jane's engagement and Anne's quick recovery from illness. On May 30th, 1536, Jane and Henry were married, and all of the Seymour's happily attended their wedding. Anne however, only made it just through the ceremonies before fainting and being rushed to see a physician as quickly as possible by Edward.

Despite Henry's previous annoyance of Anne due to her lack of interest in him, he insisted to Edward, his now permanent favourite man, that he should see her physician.

"What is it?" Edward asked as the physician came into the hall from Anne's chambers.

"Calm, mister Seymour. Your wife is completely fine." The physician told him calmly.

"If she is completely fine, then why is she so ill?" He demanded.

The physician had the nerve to laugh at Edward's anger. He put a hand on Edward's shoulder. "Lady Anne is with child, sir."

Edward's look of pure frustration and anger drooped away and turned, instead, into a look of amazement. "She's with child?" he asked, making sure he had heard the man's words right.

The physician nodded his head. "Yes, she said she has missed her courses this month and it appears to me that she is with child."

Edward was still completely shocked. "Thank you!" he exclaimed with quite a bit of excitement to the physician. He looked to the door of her chambers. "May I go see her?"

"Of course, mister Seymour, she's your wife after all."

Edward nodded his head. "Right, okay, thank you!" Edward turned from the physician and opened the door to Anne's room, entering and then closing the door slowly behind him. He beamed with happiness as he looked at her, lying on the bed. She grinned back at him, though she looked terribly ill and exhausted.

He ran over to the bed and sat down besides her, placing a hand immediately on her cheek, stroking it lovingly. "My Anne…" he said breathlessly.

She smiled up at him. "My Edward." She said, and then laughed a little, overwhelmed with happiness. "I am with child."

"I know!" He exclaimed, leaning over to kiss her on the forehead. "I know!"

Anne laughed at his happiness. "I am carrying your son." She put a hand on her belly, which had not even begun to grow yet. Edward watched her and put his hand on her hand.

"You are carrying _our_ son." He said, smiling softly at her. "Anne… these past two years that I have been with you, I have never been more happy. With you, I am so much more than I ever was."

Anne gleamed with pure happiness. "I love you Edward…" She said, flipping her hand over on her belly to hold his. "I love you so much and I have never been so happy in my life."

Edward looked into her eyes for a few moments; they were watering, but not because she was sad, and he knew that. He leaned over and kissed her on the lips. "I love you too, darling." He stroked her cheek, looking down at her.

Anne smiled, enjoying his touch. "Do not tell anyone about this side of me…" she whispered, giggling. "I feel so soft."

He laughed with her. "As long as you do not speak a word about this side of me, I will say nothing of you. This is just how we are around each other, no one else needs to know." Edward laid down on the bed beside his wife and stroked her cheek. Anne was quite exhausted, and though she wished to stay awake and look into the eyes of her loved one for hours on end, she found that sleep came quickly, and her eyes slowly shut and she fell into a deep sleep in her husband's arms.


	9. Viscount Beauchamp

"How does it feel, Viscount Beauchamp?" Henry asked, laughing as he pat Edward on the back heavily. The two men were taking a walk through the gardens of Whitehall, enjoying the summer sun.

"Your majesty, I am honored to be given such a title, and grateful." Edward assured him. Only two days ago he had been named as Viscount Beauchamp of Hache in Somerset, and he was beyond ecstatic. He worried though, because he felt things had been going too well. _It's only a matter of time before something falls apart._

"I am glad, my lord." Henry replied, chuckling. "But I was referring more to the fact that your wife is with child. How does it feel?"

Edward opened his mouth, surprised by the King's words. Normally he would have been scared to answer such a question, had Henry still been married to Anne Boleyn, but he was no longer. Now he was with his sister, Queen Jane, and she was fit as a fiddle and ready to carry the King's son in her womb. Henry was probably almost as enthralled by the mere idea of having a wife who was fit to bear him a son as Edward as by the fact that his wife was pregnant with his child. "It's… wonderful, your majesty. I'm sure you will be experiencing the same joy very soon."

"I am sure as well." Henry agreed, nodding his head. "Jane is a beautiful woman, and she is very fit and healthy. I have not a doubt in my mind that she won't be able to bear my son, the heir to the throne."

Edward smiled and nodded his head. "Your Majesty is right to think the way you do." He assured him, which is probably what he wanted to begin with; assurance. "Jane will be the perfect wife."

"I do hope so."

Over the next few months, the Seymour family enjoyed their life at Whitehall to the full extent. Edward saw himself advancing and increasing in importance at court, and his brother, Thomas, tagged along with him, though not quite as quickly.

As Edward rose in importance, Anne's belly grew large and round. She was however, constantly irritated and upset, and often found herself ending her days in a fit of rage or tears, but Edward always managed to calm her down.

"You're beautiful!" Edward found himself telling Anne on a day-to-day basis as her belly grew larger.

"But my dresses do not fit properly anymore! I have nothing to wear! What if we dine with the King? What am I to do?" Anne cried in frustration as she rested her hands on her belly. "I am fat!"

Edward shook his head, and wrapped his arms around Anne, though even such a simple gesture like a hug was become increasingly difficult as her belly grew. "I think you're beautiful, and you're only fat because you have a child in your belly. Worry not, wife. I think you are experiencing some sexual frustration." He said, laughing.

Tears ran down Anne's face, but she laughed too. _That's definitely what it is. God, as soon as this child is out of me, things better return to normal! _She rested her head against Edward's chest and took a few deep breaths' in and out to calm herself. "I'm sorry." She apologized quietly. "It's just frustrating."

"Worry not." Edward said again, kissing his wife on the forehead and rubbing her back. "I love you wife."

"Oh, I love you too husband…" Anne said, looking up at him. "But haven't we been much too mushy these days? We must speak business. Is Jane with child yet?"

Edward shook his head. "No word of it yet, but I have faith in her."

"As do I." Anne replied. "Your mother had many sons, I am sure Jane is perfectly capable of doing the same."

"I do hope so." Edward said, ironically repeating the words the King had said to him.

"Don't hope Edward, _know_ so!" Anne said with force. Since her pregnancy began she had been even more forceful than before, which was a lot for even Edward to handle.

"Alright!" he said, laughing at her random bursts of anger. "Have you written to your brothers to tell them?"

"Tell them what?" Anne asked, raising an eyebrow. They obviously knew that Jane was now Queen and that Anne was now the wife of a viscount. What else did they need to know?

"That you are with child." Edward replied, surprised that she had not realized this.

"Oh… no, I haven't written to them, but I shall, after the baby comes."

Edward looked at her with an expression of worry and Anne did not need him to speak to know what he was going to say in that concerned tone of his. "What if you do not…" he could barely bring himself to finish his sentence. "Make it through the pregnancy?"

Anne sighed, looking down at the ground. She had been prepared to tell Edward to shut up and remind him how strong she was, but her emotions and hormone were too wonky. As she looked down at the ground, more tears began to steam down her face. _Why must I cry for everything! _"I will, Edward, I will…" She sobbed, pressing her face into his chest once more. "Do not tell anyone I have cried about this!"

"I won't." He assured her. He did not want to linger long on the subject, so he attempted a quick change of topic. "Shall I tell everyone that you do not cry at all? That it is impossible for you to shed a tear, even when you experience great sorrow?"

For a moment, Anne was quiet but then she giggled and looked up at Edward. "Yes, you can tell people that. Make sure they know how much of a cold, hard bitch I am." She was now laughing and crying at the same time. _I must seem like a basket case._

Edward burst into laughter and wrapped his arms tightly around his wife, kissing her head over and over again. "You are the coldest and hardest bitch I have ever met in my life, I promise you, wife."

"Oh, thank god for that!" Anne replied laughing as she burrowed herself in Edward's arms.


	10. A Very Merry Christmas

Christmas came quickly and with good tidings, to court. Everyone was in good spirits, and the King was in the best mood of all.

"I would like to announce with much happiness that this evening is one of much greater importance than any normal Christmas Eve!" Henry's voice boomed joyously through the hall. "Today, I have found out that my beautiful wife, Queen Jane, is with child and that England will soon have a Princes of Wales, an heir to the throne."

The entire court, whose members were shoved into the hall, exploded in applause and shouts for the King and Queen. Anne and Edward were seated down the table from them, and they looked up at them and clapped. Edward could barely suppress his grin, he had so much to look forward to now. Thomas Seymour was also seated with them, and he too looked joyous, though both the Seymour brothers and Anne had been aware of Jane's pregnancy before ever the King himself, it was still exciting to see everyone else's reactions.

"Here is an early Christmas present." Edward said as he turned to Anne once the commotion in the hall had died down and the King had taken his seat once more. He held a small chest out in front of Anne, which she eyed with interest.

"Open it." She insisted, looking like a hungry wolf about to eat her prey. She loved gifts, and now that Edward had more money to spend on her, she was even happier to be his wife.

Edward laughed and clicked open the little chest. He then sat it on his lap and put his hands inside, grabbing whatever it held with his fingers and pulling it out to show Anne. It was a beautiful gold necklace with rubies embedded into it. Anne's mouth dropped with excitement and she reached out with a hand and touched it. "That's beautiful Edward, how did you afford that?" she asked, out of curiosity.

"We are doing very well, these days, wife. Remember that this is only your early gift. There is still tomorrow." Edward winked and placed the necklace carefully back into the chest and then put the chest on the table beside him. "I'm going to go speak to His Majesty, I'll be back."

Anne nodded her head and watched Edward get up and leave the table to go see the King. She turned her head toward Thomas and smirked. "Where's my gift from you, Thomas? Don't I get an early one from you?"

Thomas barked a laugh. "Why would you receive a gift from me?"

"Well, why not? You're my brother in law aren't you? Don't I deserve a gift?"

He laughed again. Anne's comments always made him chuckle, especially when she was trying to be dominant over him. "I don't think you need any gifts from me when Edward probably has hundreds for you. Are his gifts not enough?"

Anne took her turn laughing now. "Of course they are enough. I am completely content with what my husband gives me, he's very generous, but there's always room for more, Thomas."

"If you were my wife I would shower you in so many gifts you wouldn't know what to do with yourself." Thomas commented plainly.

Anne opened her mouth in shock and disgust at his comment. "How dare you! You're not like your brother Thomas, you wouldn't be able to handle a woman like me and for the record, Edward does shower me in gifts."

"Then why do you ask me for gifts?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Clearly he must not be giving you enough of something!"

"He gives me all that I need and more." Anne assured him in an assertive tone. "Excuse me for mistaking you for a _good_ brother in law, one that buys his sister in law who treats him so well, gifts and things."

"What are you trying to accuse me of?" Thomas demanded. "I think that I treat you very well considering how you speak with me. I treat you better than you deserve to be treated!"

"Do you?" Anne asked, her tone as cold as ice. "Do you really think that Thomas?" Anne rested her hand on her stomach and took a deep breath. Getting in a fit of anger over Edward's useless brother was frankly a waste of her time, and not good for the baby, but she couldn't stop herself. She was never one to back down from a fight.

Thomas reconsidered his words and mumbled for a moment. "I… I'm sorry Anne; I didn't mean it like that. You're a good sister in law, I just –"

Anne rose from her seat and slammed her goblet down on the table. "I don't want to hear your apologies. I asked you a simple question and you've basically called me a witch! You said I don't deserve to be treated well! I won't hear that kind of slander from anyone, do you hear me? No one!" She picked up her gown and walked by Thomas, storming through the hall and out the door.

Edward turned momentarily from the King as he heard his wife's familiar screams. The King and Jane watched as Anne left the hall, Jane's mouth fell open in shock.

"Edward that cannot be good for the child. You should go see what's got her in a fuss." Jane advised wisely from beside her husband.

Edward turned back to his sister with wide eyes and nodded his head. "Excuse me, Your Majesties." He said sweeping them a bow. Before following after Anne he walked over to the table and found Thomas sitting there gulping down his goblet. "What have you done you idiot?"

"Nothing!" Thomas replied, raising his arms in protest. "It was her! She got all mad at me for no reason."

"Bullshit." Edward said quietly, but loud enough that Tom could hear him. "I'll find you after, but if anything happens to my wife or that child Thomas, I will have your head on a platter before dinner time tomorrow." And with nothing else to say, Edward ran out of the hall after Anne, leaving Thomas at the table by his lonesome, drinking his wine.

"Anne?" Edward called as he stalked through the halls in search of his wife. He found her not too far down the hall. She had turned down a corridor and sunk back against the wall in tears. As soon as he found her he ran to her side, and tilted her head up. "What ever is the matter? You stormed out of the hall! Everyone saw!"

Anne was in no way stable at that moment. Her mind was full of emotions and her body was overloaded with hormones and everything she heard people say seemed to come out one hundred times worse than it was. "That's all you care about?" she asked. "That everyone saw me leave the hall?"

"No, no, not at all." He assured her, looking into her eyes. "Just tell me what's wrong. Did Thomas do something to you?" The thought of his brother hurting his wife made him very enraged. He clenched his free hand at his side. _That stupid bastard…_

Anne sobbed and shook her head. If she told on Thomas, she would be losing the battle they were in since Edward would be dealing with her problems for her, and she didn't want him to do that, as much as she loved to see him act heroically on her behalf.

"Are you sure?" He asked. He could tell she was not telling him something. She was pregnant and very irritable, but she would not have screamed at the top of her lungs and stormed away if nothing had happened. "Because, if he did, I will surely teach him a lesson for speaking to my wife that way. He will speak to no one that way."

"I am sure, it was nothing. I misheard him and… because of the child, I just have my guard up." She lied. In retrospective, the whole situation was blown out of proportion and she didn't want Edward to think she was screaming and yelling for no reason, disrupting his sister's proud moment, _his _proud moment, for nothing. He would surely look down upon her if that were the case. "I am sorry, husband. I have acted much like a child."

"It's fine. I know you are keeping something from me Anne, and I will keep a good watch on Thomas from now on. He often speaks without thinking. It is a bad habit he has had since he was young. Everyone knows you are with child and not in the best of moods, so do not worry." He rubbed her arm with his hand and smiled. He then looked down at her stomach. "Do you feel okay?"

She nodded, resting a hand on her stomach. "I think so. I think I will retire though. You should go back and celebrate for your sister. Celebrate for us." She said, giving him her devilish smile.

He was happy to see that beneath all the hormones she was still his Anne. "Alright." He replied, kissing her forehead. "I'll go back, but I'll walk you to your chambers first." _And then I will have a talk with Thomas…_


	11. Little Edward

"What were you thinking, or were you even thinking at all?" Edward asked Thomas as they stood in an empty room down the hall from the great hall. He paced about in front of Thomas who had lazily taken a seat.

"I was thinking! She asked me a stupid question and I responded in a mean way to tease her. You know how she is! You two tease each other all the time, I can't see why I can't do the same." He decided to leave out the key piece of information in the story, when he said to Anne '_if I were your husband…'_.

Edward's eyes widened. "You can't speak to her that way because you are _**not**_ her husband!"

Thomas laughed at his brother, feeling a bit nervous by the fact Edward had basically just read his mind. "I know that, of course!"

"Then why would you speak to her that way? Especially when you know she is most irritable these days? When you know she is with child and that playing with her temper can affect the child's life?" Edward demanded. "Sometimes I wonder if you were born with any common sense at all."

Thomas laughed some more. His brother and sister in laws mood swings were extremely entertaining to him. "Probably not Ed, you were born with all the brains. That's why your heads so big."

His last comment hit Edward's final nerve and he stormed towards Thomas and picked him off the chair, grasping onto his shirt, and slammed him against the wall, in the most brotherly way of course. "Stop fucking around Thomas. We aren't children anymore, when are you ever going to learn to grow up? My wife is not a toy to be played with by you. You are not to tease her or treat her badly. You will treat her with the respect she deserves as my wife, the wife of a viscount! You are _no one_ without Anne, Jane and I. _No one._ So next time my wife asks you for a gift on Christmas eve, you better have one at the ready, because she deserves to be thanked for what she has helped our family achieve." Edward released his brother from his grasps and Thomas found himself struggling to stand up.

"I'm sorry." Thomas said, as Edward turned his back on him. "I wasn't thinking, I was just trying to tick her off."

Edward had been walking towards the door of the room, ready to leave and retire to bed. "Don't apologize to me, apologize to her." He replied, shaking his head in shame. "Merry Christmas, Thomas."

Thomas was going to object and beg his brother for his forgiveness, but Edward left the room quickly and Thomas didn't even have a moment to speak up. He had always been jealous of Edward, in everything, from sports to intelligence, and now, though he did not know why, he found himself in a situation where he was even jealous of his wife, and he had a bad feeling that this wasn't going to change any time soon.

Luckily, there were many things going on at the palace, and many women, to keep Thomas distracted from his feud with his brother and his unexplainable attraction to his sister-in-law. With Jane's pregnancy, the King and everyone else were once again in high spirits as the New Year came around. There were many tournaments and feasts in the future prince's honour, and it was easy for everyone to forget what was going on around them.

Anne found it harder to distract herself once January rolled along as she begun her lying in and was absolutely miserable, and horrid to every mid wife and physician that tried to touch her. Her spirits were low as she was locked up, away from every one and every thing that brought her happiness. Though Edward would visit her each day, she wished more than anything that she could be out there with him, working as a team. She didn't like the idea of him working alone and making big decisions without her, not because she didn't trust him, but because she knew he sometimes needed advice and it was only her advice that would suffice.

"I just want this thing out of me!" She told Edward one night as he sat at her bedside.

"Don't call it a thing Anne, it's not a _thing._" Edward replied, furrowing his brow a bit. There was still a smile on his face though, so Anne knew he was not angry.

"I know, I just mean, I want our child to come." She said, rephrasing her words.

"As do I and he should come soon." He replied, smiling. He put his hand on her belly and rubbed it for a moment until he felt the child push back. He pulled his hand away only because he was surprised. "Did you feel that?"

Anne nodded her head, grinning. She took Edward's hand with hers and put it back on her belly. She could feel the child moving inside of her and as much as she wanted it out, the whole experience of feeling him kick and move was interesting. "Yes!" she replied. "Wait, he will do it again."

Edward laughed happily as he felt the child's kick once more. It was somewhat of a surreal experience for him, and an important moment in his and Anne's relationship, though it was such a small matter. "He is strong."

"Of course he is." Anne retorted teasingly. _I will have no child that is weak! _"Look who his parents are. How could he be weak?"

"You're right." Edward replied, his hand still on her belly. The baby continued to move around and kick for a few minutes. Edward drifted off into a daze, thinking of nothing but his future family. He was suddenly awoken from his daze when Anne sat up in pain. She squeezed Edward's hand with all her strength.

"Edward!" She cried, pulling him close to her. "Fetch the physician and the midwives, won't you?" Even in an extreme amount of pain, Anne was able to remain the one in charge.

Recognizing Anne's look of pain, he knew the child was coming. Edward nodded to her and pulled his hand from her death grip so that he could go get the physician and the midwives who were standing in the hallway. He went out quickly and told them the child was on its way and they all quickly rushed into the room and crowded around Anne. Edward tried to be as close to Anne as he could, but with the midwives and the physician all crowded around her, it was difficult. He spoke to her over them to make sure she was okay.

Luckily for Anne, the pregnancy was short and sweet. The midwife took the child in her arms and went to clean it off. Anne didn't even get a glimpse of it, to see whether it was a boy or a girl.

As Edward saw the midwife walk away to clean the child off, he followed her and looked and then quickly returned to Anne's bedside where he knelt beside her. He took her sweaty hand in his and kissed it. "We have a son."

Anne was exhausted and her ears had popped from pushing so hard. "What?" she asked. She had heard Edward's words but she thought surely she had heard him wrong.

"We have a son." He repeated, a smile slowly appearing on his face. He kissed her hand again. "We have a son!"

Anne smiled lazily and turned to look at Edward. "We have a son." She repeated softly. The midwife at last brought the child over to Anne, once it was all wrapped up in blankets, and placed him in her arms. Anne was never really much of a baby lover. She had always thought them to be some sort of strange alien looking things, which cried all the time and cost money, but this child, her boy, he was not like the babies she had seen and known in her past. He was beautiful, like a porcelain doll. His skin was fair and he barely had any hair, but he was still a beautiful sight. "Do you see him Edward?" she asked. "He is so beautiful."

Edward too, was like Anne, completely amazed by their child. He had two children with his first wife, but like he had told Anne upon their first meeting, he was not sure if they were truly his, or his fathers. _That bastard. _He knew, however, that neither of those children was as beautiful as his son, his true, and only son. "He is. What do you want to name him?"

"Oh, I haven't even thought of that." Anne said, completely unprepared. She had carried this boy in her belly for nine months and she hadn't once thought of a name. "How about Edward? For you and for my father." Anne's quick suggestion made the most sense to her; there were no two men she loved more in the world than her father, god rest his soul, and her husband.

"Edward. I like that." Edward replied, winking at his wife.

"Of course you do." She replied, chuckling as she held her swaddled little Edward in her arms. "He will be a spitting image of his father, I can see it."

"I hope that he is a mix between the two of us." Edward admitted a little timidly. Though he admired himself for his more prominent strengths, he also knew he had weaknesses where Anne did not. If the child were a mix of the both of them, well, he'd perfect in his eyes!

Anne smiled at his comment. "Maybe you're right." She agreed. Unlike Edward, it was more difficult for her to admit to her weaknesses. _Perhaps he should be 60% me, 40% Edward? A mix of our looks, but most of my brains._ "Either way, he is perfect." _I thought this soft side of me would wear off once the child was out of me… _

"Indeed." Edward agreed with a curt nod of his head. He looked down at little Edward and leaned forward to kiss him on his tiny nose. "I must go tell Jane and Thomas."

"Alright." Anne replied, surprising even herself when she did not complain or make a fuss. She had barely allowed Edward to leave her side in the months before.

Edward stood up and then leaned over to kiss Anne on the lips. "I'll be back soon."


	12. Reunited Lovers

"What a lucky boy our Edward is! He has wonderful parents and _royal_ godparents, with the exception of mister Cromwell of course, but the man is on the rise." Anne sang happily to Edward as she paced back in forth in front of him in one of the drawing rooms in their home. She was in good spirits because after several weeks she was finally able to fit back into her gowns, and go out like she always had.

"He is a lucky boy, indeed." Edward said, holding his hands together behind his back as he watched his wife pace in front of him. He too was in good spirits, happy to have a son, and happy to have a nephew in some months time.

Anne stopped walking and looked to her husband. "How are your sister, and the child?" She hadn't had as much time as she would have liked to be concerned about Jane's well being while she had been pregnant.

"The queen is well, and from what the physician says, the child is too, though it's hard to tell in such an early stage. I am sure that everything is going well though. The King makes sure that Jane receives only the best care, and lots of attention." Edward assured his wife.

"Good." Anne replied, satisfied with his response. "Can you imagine what it will be like for us if your sister gives the King a son?" Edward could almost see the fire of desire and ambition in Anne's dark eyes.

"Yes…. I can." Edward said slowly, imagining the scenario. _I can see it now. We will do nothing but prosper! Our family, Jane, Thomas… but he won't be too prosperous, I'll make sure of that. _"Things will get better than they are now."

"And things are already going a lot better than they were three years ago!" Anne noted, remembering her original dislike of Edward and his low stature. _Who knows what's next for him… shall I be a duchess in the future? _She came close to Edward and rested a hand on his broad chest. "I've missed you, my husband."

Edward looked down at her and raised an eyebrow. "You've missed me? I've barely left your side, even for a moment." He put a hand on her cheek and caressed it. "How could you miss me, darling?"

Anne grinned devilishly and let her other hand wander up Edward's leg slowly. "I think that you know well in what way I've missed you, Edward. It has been almost a year since we have…"

"I know." Edward said, cutting Anne off as he laid a kiss on her lips. A shiver went down his spine. It had been a long time since they had been able to be this close, and not only because they were told not to lay together by the physicians but also because it had almost physically impossible for them to hug while Anne had been pregnant; her belly had been too large to allow Edward to get close. "But it is the middle of the day, and though I wish I did not, I have work to do."

"Work?" Anne asked, batting her eyelashes at him seductively. "Are you all work and no play these days, Edward?" _What a bore…_

"No!" Edward retorted quickly. He wasn't sure why he was trying to place work above his wife in the first place, he just wanted to make her wait, he wanted to play with her and tease her and make her want him more. _I want to torture you. _"I just have a lot to get done for His Majesty."

Anne poked her hand into his chest. "_Oh, His majesty._ How could I have forgotten your love for _His Majesty, _Edward! Then please, leave me now and get to work. I would not want you to forfeit your relationship with _His Majesty._" Anne teased, grinning at him. She then surprised by him kissing him on the cheek once and turning, beginning to walk away.

_Let her go, Edward, let her go. She's just teased you! Don't go after her, use your restraint, oh, fuck it! _Edward lunged forward and caught Anne by her shoulder, pulling her back to him. He turned her around in his arms and immediately pressed his lips to hers with passion he had been containing within him for several months. "I would never choose work over you."

Anne had been completely swept away by his sudden change in heart and his passionate kiss, and his words were just the cherry on top of it all. She looked up at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I knew you'd come to the dark side." She said, giggling profusely. She took his hand and began to lead him from the drawing room. "We should go to our chambers."

Edward stood still and did not budge. He pulled Anne towards him and shook his head. "Why should we return to our chambers? This is ours home is it not? Can I not make love to my wife any where I please in my own home?"

"I suppose you can, my lord." Anne replied, grinning. "You may have me where ever you'd like." Anne pushed the sleeve of her gown off her shoulder, leaving only her bare skin. She then began to remove Edward's shirt with both hands, biting her lip as she undid the clasps. Edward kissed Anne as she worked on his shirt, and he nibble at her neck and bare shoulder, barely able to contain himself.

"Is that an expensive gown, Anne?" he asked, looking her in the eyes for a moment.

"You tell me, you bought it for me last year." Anne said, shrugging her shoulders.

Edward grinned and, wrapping his arms around Anne's back, ripped open the back of her gown and pulled it off her body. _So much faster than undoing the damn laces. _

"What have you done that for!" Anne asked, putting her hands on her hips in frustration. She hated to pill or damage any of her belongings, no matter how much they cost. "You bought that for me!"

"I know, which is why I can tear it up and buy you a new one." He replied simply, with a coy smile. "I figured since I can have you where ever I'd like, I could also have you when ever and how ever I liked."

The grin that Edward wore on his face was enough to stop Anne from being angry. _How could I be made at that face? _She smiled slyly back at him and removed his shirt from his upper body at last. She did not waste any time after that getting his trousers off and she undid them at high speed and pulled them down to his ankles, where Edward kicked them off. "I can't believe you are standing buck naked in our drawing room." Anne said, giggling.

Edward laughed and then bent down to rip Anne's skirts off of her. "Don't worry, I'll replace the dress in its full form." He assured her as he threw the skirts to the ground. "But now you are also completely naked in our drawing room. Shame on you, Anne Seymour, shame on you!"

Anne's face went rosy and she covered her mouth, shocked by Edward's actions, but also pleased. They both loved to play dirty, another thing they had in common. "Shame on you for making me this way, mister Seymour."

"Mister Seymour…" Edward repeated, raising an eyebrow and licking his bottom lip. "It's been some time since you called me that." He came closer to her, his head beside hers so he could whisper in her ear. "Will you say it again?"

"Say it again? Why? Would that please you, _mister Seymour?_"

Edward experienced a full body shiver but recovered quickly. He stood up straight and pushed Anne's naked body against his, kissing her and letting his tongue explore her mouth. His hands slid down to her buttocks and he grasped it fiercely with both hands. He could feel his member swelling, pushing against Anne's belly. "It would please me very well, wife."

"I can tell." Anne replied, giggling like a schoolgirl over such an immature topic. Despite her fierce exterior, Anne had a soft side and also, apparently, an immature side, hidden within the walls of her being. Though she was laughing, in a way, at Edward's erection, she was also feeling very tempted by him. She allowed herself to caress him with her hand as she kissed his neck, collarbone and chest hastily.

"Anne…" Edward moaned, as he felt her touch his masculinity. _It has been __**way**__ too long. _He already felt like he would burst at any moment. It had been months and Anne's touch alone felt fiery and powerful enough to make him scream out in pleasure. He bit his lip and tried to curb some of his bliss for later. There was no way he waited nine months just to have Anne touch him, and there was no way he would leave her with nothing when her body too was pining for more. He slowly began to walk, Anne following his lead and moving backwards as she continued to kiss and caress him. He stopped in front of a table and reached around Anne to use his arm and sweep all the papers off the table.

"You'll have to clean that up later…" Anne reminded him in a hushed tone as she turned them around so Edward's back was to the table. She then fiercely shoved him down and climbed over top of him, continuing to smother him in kisses.

_Great minds…_ Edward grinned as Anne climbed on top of him, using the table just the way he had planned. He ran his hands down the sides of her body and took a deep breath, inhaling her sweet and beautiful scent. One of his hands played with her femininity mindlessly, while the other caressed one of her breasts. He admired her body with his eyes, realizing that even after having a child, she was still beautiful as ever.

Anne could see Edward's eyes wandering over her body, and for a moment, and probably for the first time in her life, she felt self-conscious. Though she had managed to shove herself back into her old gowns, it was a tight squeeze and she no longer had the fit, young body of a single woman. She had a married woman's body now, a child bearing body, and she could not find that attractive with her own eyes, but it appeared that Edward was quite accepting of it. _Perhaps it's because my breasts have grown. I always saw him as a breast man. _Anne arched her back as Edward pleased her with only his hand. Even she was thinking that she was not sure how long she would last once he entered her. She felt as if she could climax without him even doing so, but she did not want to leave him with nothing.

When Edward felt that Anne was ready, he brought her slowly down on top of him, entering her. He felt as if it was their first time all over again, it always felt that way to him. They were so adventurous and fun that he felt the act could never get old to either of them. The two of them would make love until they were so old their bodies would no longer allow it.

"Oh my god…" Anne said breathlessly as their thrusts against each other began to regulate. They were going at a steady pace now, but even a steady pace was overwhelming to Anne's body, which had been without these pleasures for nine months.

Edward pressed his hands against Anne's back so that she would lean forward more and allow him to thrust deeply within her. They were moaning together with almost every movement, as they were both feeling particularly sensitive. Even when they would kiss, they would both experience a surge of pleasure from only their lips touching one another's.

With a few powerful thrusts, Edward did not even have the time to change positions, but neither did Anne. They found themselves collapsing in each other's arms, their bodies shaking with pleasure.

"That was definitely the shortest sex ever." Anne said, laughing. She was not complaining however. It had been short, but sweet, just the way she liked most things.

"Perhaps, but it was still pleasing for me." Edward said.

"Me too." She assured him, resting her head on his chest. He ran his fingers through her hair and tucked loose strands of her dark tresses behind her ear. _I could lie here all day, if there was not business to be dealt with, and there will always_ _be business to deal with. _"Must you work?"

He nodded his head and chuckled. "Yes, I must. I am His Majesty's loyal servant and well, there is a lot to be done in preparation for the Princes of Wales."

Anne looked up at him. "I understand that you are very dedicated to _His Majesty._" She said, teasing him again. She took his hand and pressed it against her lips. "I am only kidding, but you will make time to play later on, won't you?"

He smiled at her. "Of course I will darling."

"Good, and we can dine together tonight too. We have things to speak of, plans to make, for Jane and your future nephew…"


	13. Sibling Rivalry

Getting from the drawing room to her chambers in a torn dress was quite a difficult adventure for Anne. Their staff would certainly question why her nice gowns were ripped and she would have no excuse. Luckily, Anne bumped into no one on her way and was able to change into a different gown before dinner.

When Anne entered the private dining chamber that was attached to Edward's room, her mouth dropped open in disgust. "What on earth are you doing here?"

"I've come to visit my brother and favourite in law, is that so wrong?" Thomas asked as he turned around in his chair to look his sister in law in the eyes.

Anne furrowed her brow and did not budge from the doorway. "You can't just come here uninvited and find yourself welcome anymore! Get out!"

Thomas laughed and shook his head. "I'm not leaving. I've come to see my brother and see my _nephew_ actually. Is that a crime?"

Anne crossed her arms and came closer to the table. "Yes, in my eyes, it is. After what you said to me, I cannot believe you'd even dare to show your face at your brother's home." _Or do you wish it could be your home? _ "I'd advise you to leave before he comes. You can see your nephew another time."

Thomas bit the inside of his lip; angry with himself for having ever saying his thoughts aloud, especially to the one they were about. Now Anne had a hunch of how he felt for her, and she could easily tell Edward at any time and then it would be over. Edward would destroy him. He could see it now. He may not have been able to destroy their father when he had slept with his first wife, but he could easily rip each of Thomas's limbs off one by one and feed them to one of his dogs if he found out that he was infatuated with his wife. "I just want to speak to Edward, Anne. That's all. What I said at Christmas it's not…" but he could not bring himself to say it was not true, because it was. Even as he looked at Anne now, even when she was beyond furious with him, he still desired her for some twisted reason. _Why must I want what I cannot have? I always want what is Edward's! I need something of my own. _

"Why do you want to speak to him?" Anne demanded, ignoring Tom's comment about Christmas. She didn't want to be reminded of his words, as they had made her so angry. "What is so important you just can't wait to tell your brother? Hmm?"

"Nothing, I guess, we just… well up until just recently we hadn't been on good terms. It was only when little Edward was born that he spoke to me again and even then he was cold and heartless. He only told me because he had to." Thomas explained, shrugging. "I just want to clear things up between us."

"Things have never been clear between us, Thomas." Edward said as he entered the room very quietly. Not even Anne, who's ears were always on high alert for lurkers, heard him enter the room.

Anne looked up at Edward with wide eyes, but said nothing. Thomas turned towards his brother and stood up. "Edward, I just want to apologize for everything that happened over Christmas."

"I don't want your apologies Thomas." Edward spit back coldly. "You hurt my wife with your words and that's the end of it, isn't it? Unless there's something more to the situation I don't know about?" Though Edward would go to the end of the earth for his beloved wife, he also had to be fair when things got riled up between Thomas and Anne. Thomas was his brother after all, and if something else had happened that night, if something else had been said, then he had at least would hear him say it.

Thomas looked back to Anne for a mom in a hesitant manner, and Edward was very observant during the few moments of silence. He watched Thomas and Anne exchange a look, though their looks were very different. Thomas looked worried, while Anne looked as she always did; without a worry in the world. "Nothing else happened, Ed. That was it." Thomas lied, looking down at the ground in shame. "I just feel awful. I had a lot to drink that night and things were said that I didn't truly mean and you remember Anne during her pregnancy, she was irritable!"

"Of course I remember how my own wife was during her pregnancy that has only just past! Don't tell me things like that on my own wife! She is _**my**_ wife!" Edward roared as he took a few steps closer to his brother, pointing a finger at him. Unfortunately, from Anne's perspective, this didn't look very effective. One thing Thomas had that Edward did not was height. Though Edward was tall, he was not _quite_ as tall as his younger brother, who seemed to tower over him. "I cannot see why I should give you a chance to redeem yourself Thomas, when you are quoting my wife's actions to me, her husband!"

Thomas continued to hang his head low. He could barely face his brother for longer than a few seconds at a time. When Edward was angry his eyes became so beady and watery. His gaze felt like a dagger to the heart. "I am sorry, truly."

Edward laughed and shook his head. He then took a seat at the table and looked off in a daze for a moment. Thomas stayed completely still where he was standing and did not dare to move, or speak. He felt so pathetic standing there, in front of Anne who probably thought he was more deplorable than when she had originally met him, and in front of his brother who felt he was not worthy of forgiveness for such a small ordeal. _It's a small ordeal, as he knows it, at least. If Anne ever tells him… I don't know what will happen. _

"Stop it." Anne said suddenly, breaking the silence at last. Edward had almost forgotten his wife was there, as it was such a rare occasion to not hear her voice for so long. "Both of you just need to stop. You bicker at each other like schoolboys and I've had enough! Thomas, what you said to me was rude, but I will look past it if it will stop you two from squabbling with each other!"

Edward raised his eyebrows at Anne. "Are you sure?"

Anne nodded her head slowly. "Yes, I am. Having a rift in the family is not good at this time. We need to be together and work together. Your sister is the Queen of England! You two need to remain friends to some extent because the King will be very gracious to you both, and the more the merrier."

"She is right." Edward said, acknowledging Anne's good point. If Thomas and Edward were to completely cut each other off from one another, one of them would probably lose favour in the King's eye because the King would find out and take sides in the situation, because that was how Henry was. He loved to show favoritism and what better a situation to exercise this than between two brothers.

Thomas looked up and nodded his head. "Yes." He replied, still afraid to speak or say too much.

The awkwardness that lingered after a fight made Edward feel disgusted. He stood up from the seat he had taken and walked past Thomas to Anne. "We will have to dine together tomorrow, if that's alright. I am feeling quite tired, and I think it best to retire early tonight."

Anne's face sunk as she heard his words. Not only would they be missing out on their second favourite thing to do together, plotting, but they would also not be able to fool around later on that night because Edward was retiring so early. In her head, Anne knew who was to blame for her sexual sorrows. "We can dine tomorrow, that's fine." She stood up on her tippy toes and kissed Edward on the nose. She felt uncomfortable kissing him on the lips in front of Thomas. _He's probably looking, and imagining himself in Edward's place! What a sick man! _"I'll see you tomorrow."

Edward kissed Anne back on the cheek and squeezed one of her hands comfortingly. He knew she was not exactly happy to lose their time together, but he would make up for it tomorrow. He then walked over to Thomas and slap his hand across his back, trying to be brotherly like they once had been, so long ago. "I'll be seeing you." Edward said. Thomas did not know whether he had meant it in a good way or a bad way, but he decided not to ask any questions.

Once Edward left the room, Anne quickly turned and ran for the door, but Thomas caught up with her. He stood right behind her, but his hand reached forward and held the door closed. "You won't tell him, will you?" he asked.

Anne could hear the worry in his voice. She turned around and looked up at him. _If he was not so stupid and useless he could be charming, but still nothing like his brother. _"I won't unless you force me to do so."

"And how would I do that?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Just, stop acting like such an idiot and smarten up! Make good decisions and please your brother, and be kind to me, and your nephew, and I won't say a word." _And you know, get over me. I will never be yours, not even in your dreams. _

Thomas nodded his head. "Okay, I will do all of that." He said, looking into Anne's eyes. _The one thing that will be difficult is finding a woman whom I desire as much as you… _Thomas looked away once he realized he was staring at Anne with a look only her husband should give her. He took a few steps back and let his hand fall from the door as he did. "Go."

Anne took one last look at him and then turned to the door and left the room. _I am glad that I have no idea what so ever what is going on in that head of his._


	14. Here Lieth a Phoenix

Thomas and Edward managed to be civil with each other over the following months. They even began to gain some of their old, distant and thought to be lost friendship back. Edward continued to be left in the dark when it came to Thomas's feelings for his wife, and knowing continued to haunt Anne. She would try her best not to be left alone in a room with Thomas, and when she was she would not allow her eyes to wander to him or would quickly find a reason to leave.

It was difficult, however, for Anne to treat her brother in law terribly since her son, even at such a young and tender age, seemed to be fascinated by him. The connection between little Edward and Thomas made her toes curl and it even slightly annoyed Edward, but he did not say anything to anyone but Anne.

Queen Jane began her lying in at the end of September. Anne found it important to visit her as often as possible and make sure she was doing well. She would shoo away the King himself when he bothered her too much. The King was bothered by this initially and had it in his mind to throw Anne out of the Queen's chambers, but he knew that she was right. He didn't want to overwhelm Jane at the end of her pregnancy when everyone had been so careful to make sure her pregnancy ran smoothly through the first three terms. During the time that Anne spent with Jane, she also found out that she herself was pregnant once again, having missed her courses in September. Jane was as excited for her as she was for herself, but Anne reminded her she needed to be calm and relaxed throughout the rest of her pregnancy so she could have an easy delivery.

By the 9th of October 1537, the Queen went into labor. Henry would not sleep as he awaited the arrival of his predicted son, but he found that he grew very exhausted waiting as Jane's pregnancy went on for three days. The people of England began to worry greatly once the second day of labor passed. People began to question whether or not the Queen or the child would live through it, but Henry would not hear it. He allowed a procession to be mounted in London to pray for the Queen, but he would not have anyone speak of it to him except Edward. Edward was enlisted as the messenger, the one who would carry news back and forth from Jane's room when Henry could not be present himself. It was not the best job to have, as Henry had an awful temper and was of course, very annoyed throughout the entirety of the three days due to his worry. By the third day his temper had faded for the most part, and what remained was a gloomy man and King who wanted nothing more than for his wife to make it through the pregnancy. He even admitted to Edward that he loved Jane more than either of his previous wives and that, by this point, he would be happy to see her make it through the pregnancy alone. Edward believed that Henry loved Jane, but he was not sure if he could believe that he would be happy had Jane made it through the pregnancy without their son.

The eve of the Feast of St. Edward brought, at last, the birth of the child. Henry had been in a meeting with a few men about his wife when Edward came into the room, bowing quickly. He could barely catch his breath when he tried to speak. "Your Majesty, the Queen has delivered!" he told him.

Henry turned with his eyebrows raised to Edward and then told the men he would need to excuse himself. He stalked over to Edward and put a hand on his shoulder, looking him in the eye. He needn't speak for Edward to know what he was silently asking.

"It is a healthy baby boy, your majesty." Edward assured him, smiling.

Henry's face lit up like a firecracker and he squeezed Edward's shoulder. "Let's go then!"

The two men jogged to the Queen's chambers and Henry passed quickly by the doctors and midwives to his beloved wife. Edward found his wife amongst the crowd and went to her side, taking her hand in his. It was a monumental moment for their family. The two watched carefully as Henry rushed to Jane's side and shed tears as he took his son into his arms. The boy was named Edward, and he was to become King Edward VI when he succeeded to the throne.

"He looks a bit too much like his father, don't you think?" Anne noted to Edward three days later at Prince Edward's baptism. She had gotten a better look at the boy over the past three days and noticed that his chubby cheeks looked much like his fathers now, instead of his fathers in his youth. _I hope for the sake of England that he is not an obese child. Just a little cushion is all they need. _

Edward shook his head. "No, he looks a lot like Jane, I think."

"We can only hope." Anne said, smirking a bit. She watched and listened as the Garter King of Arms proclaimed Edward as the Duke of Cornwall and Earl of Chester. She kept a careful eye on her sister in law as well, whom she was surprised to see at the baptism at all. Jane had insisted upon attending her only child, her son's baptism and told her ladies and maids that she felt fit as a thistle. Anne would have argued had she not been a mother herself, but she knew what it was like to be charmed by your first child.

Both of Henry's other daughters, Lady Mary and Lady Elizabeth, were present at the baptism. Mary was a godmother to her half brother and little Elizabeth carried the baptismal cloth, and Thomas Seymour carried her. Anne was quite close with Mary, but had little interest in the young Elizabeth. She appeared to be a spitting image of her mother, only with the fiery red tresses of her father. The fact that Thomas was the one carrying her about angered her more, but she said nothing of this to Edward. She dared not speak badly of the King's daughter to him, even if she was part Boleyn. His love for the King was second to only her.

The day after the baptism, Edward and Thomas received more gifts from the King, such as lands and pensions. Edward also earned a new title as Earl of Hertford. Anne and him were both ecstatic over the news and Edward, despite his developing friendship with his brother, was quick to rub it in Thomas's face. The celebrations for both Edward's birth and the Seymour's advancement were grand, and Edward and Thomas returned to their chambers too many nights in a row having drank too much. Anne was reluctant to find that when Edward was heavily inebriated, as he was for several days, he seemed to just want to sleep and was not violent or demanding of her.

The celebrations had to a sudden end when Jane took to her bed on the 19th of October, only ten days after the birth of her son. By the morning of the 23rd, it was believed she had recovered from whatever illness had overcome her, but by the evening, Jane's wait staff found they were very wrong in their presumptions. She became delirious and the King went into worry again. He was at Jane's side whenever he could be, and he cancelled many of his meetings and even his hunting trip to be there with her as she faded from life. Near midnight on the 24th, Queen Jane passed away. Henry had been at her side, and Anne, Edward and Thomas lurking nearby in worry. Anne cried for Jane, which Thomas was surprised for, since he had never seen Anne cry except in frustration. Over the time that Jane was queen, Anne had developed a very strong relationship with her, and now that she was gone she felt the loss in her heart, much like the King, who grieved like he had never grieved before. He hung Hampton Court with black from one end to the other, and would let no one forget the late Queen, his most favourite and beloved Queen Jane.

Henry was so in so much agony, that he could not even bring himself to attend Jane's funeral. He locked himself in his rooms and would see barely anyone with the exception of Thomas Cromwell and occasionally, Edward, but only for an update on his son's well being. All of Jane's jewellery was distributed amongst her close friends, Princess Mary for one, the two Seymour brothers and Jane's ladies in waiting. Everything else, her manors and castles, were returned to the crown. Anne, Edward and Thomas all began to wonder: what would they do now without their Seymour queen on the throne? Who would the King's eye fall on next? He could not have himself be single for long. It was not a good look for a man of such great power. He needed a wife, and he would have to begin looking for one soon, no matter how upset he was.

"We must intervene. We need to place someone in his way! He cannot go off marrying a Howard girl, or god knows who." Anne said in a worried tone, her hand on her belly protectively. There were so many new women at court that the King could have his pick at. What if he made the wrong choice? Everything they'd done would be for nothing and Jane would have died, leaving the King a son, but for nothing. "We cannot let him make the wrong decision."

"I can't see how we can intervene on this one, Anne. He will barely see Thomas or I. He wants only his Cromwell." Edward said, rolling his eyes as he sat in his privy chamber with his wife and his brother. "Cromwell probably already has the King's mind made up for him. He'll hear nothing from us. It's too late."

"But we cannot just let our work fade away to nothingness!" Anne said, throwing her hands up in the air. "If we cannot help him in his decision for a new wife, we must at least stay involved in the game. We cannot fade away like many family's have in the past."

"How could we?" Thomas asked. He was seated beside his brother, looking up at Anne. "We have Edward and the King is only refusing to see us because he is upset. He'll get over his grief eventually, and then we will take our rightful places around him."

For once, Anne had to commemorate Thomas on his thinking. He made a good point. They had Edward and he was their connection to the throne, to the King and to the memory of Jane. Henry would soon return to his normal self and want Edward at his side once more. He would not forget how dutiful the two brothers had been to him, and how their sister had given him his only male heir. _Bravo, Thomas, bravo! I can't believe there is truly a brain inside of that head. _"Right. Then, we must always be close to Edward. We must ensure his wellbeing at all times and love him as aunts and uncles should, then we will certainly hold our favoritism at court and with the King."

Edward nodded his head in agreement. Even he was impressed by Thomas's thinking. _Why did I not think of that simple response myself?_ "Everything will work itself out and be fine. The King will relapse and be back to normal soon…"


	15. A Madness Most Discreet

As Thomas said, the King did eventually call his favourite Seymour's to his side again by Christmas time, but he was not quite himself. He seemed to be missing something without Jane, and whatever he was missing had been an important component to his personality beforehand. Edward and Thomas attempted to look past this, but it was easier said then done.

By the time the New Year came around however, Anne and Edward had more important things to worry about than the King's mood changes. Little Edward, their one and only son, had fallen ill. He had not even quite reached his two-year mark when whichever influenza he had overcame him and he passed away at one of their family estates. Anne wept and wept but Edward pulled her away from the boy's room and reminded her of her pregnancy, and how she could not be so unstable when the baby was due to arrive in only four months.

_Dear Richard,_

_I write to you to inform you that your nephew, little Edward, has passed away, God Rest His Soul. I hope that you give him a moment of silence, and pray for his soul. I will also let you know ahead of time that I am with child once again. I hope for another son of course. _

_Sincerely, _

_Anne, Countess of Hertford_

The next four months were extremely painful for Anne. Though her mood swings were not quite as tremendous as during her first pregnancy she was still in a terrible mood most of the time. She had trouble sleeping too, which only made her mood worse. Nightmares filled her evenings, full of horrid images of her dead son and she'd often wake up in a sweat and have to be calmed down by Edward, who had grown increasingly worried about her.

Anne went into confinement at Chester Place early May and to her and Edward's delight, experienced another short and sweet pregnancy, and gave birth to another healthy son on May 22nd, 1539; they could only hope that this one was stronger than the last. Their second son was also named Edward, and was nicknamed Eddie for both convenience and respect, so he would not be confused with the first Edward, or with his father.

"I don't like him as much as little Edward. He is not as sociable." Anne stated plainly to her husband as they ate dinner one night.

"How can you tell if he is sociable or not? He's not even a year old, he can't speak!" Edward retorted. He found that his new son was healthier then his last and therefore, preferred him, though he had to admit he did miss his first son, even though they had very little time together.

"I can just tell." Anne said, putting her fork down and crossing her arms. "I want to go back to court. Do I look fit enough to go back? I'm bored here."

Edward looked at his wife and nodded. "If you wish to come back with me you can. Eddie can stay with his governess, it's not a problem, as long as you are sure you're well. You had a rough time this time around and I don't want you to take ill upon returning to the palace."

"I did not have a rough time!" Anne objected. "I was completely fine. It was a short pregnancy, and Eddie is healthy. What was rough about it?"

"Your nightmares and such, I just don't want you to feel overwhelmed coming back to court, that's all." Edward said quickly, trying to save his ass before Anne threw a fit.

His words seemed to subdue her anger for the moment. She sighed and looked down at her plate and then back up at him. "Right, well I'm not having those nightmares anymore and I feel perfectly healthy."

"Then, as long as you're sure, of course you can come back."

Unfortunately, Anne's stay at court did not last as long as she would have liked. She was pregnant _again _and her mood once more take a turn for the worse. It didn't help her to find out that the King was considering the sister of the Duke of Cleves as his next wife. Anne was only four months pregnant with her third child when she watched the King sign the marriage treaty on the 4th of October.

"What have you two been doing, sleeping?" She asked Thomas and Edward accusingly. "You're both so useless when I'm not constantly at your side to dictate your every move."

Edward scowled at his wife, but hoped that her wonky hormone levels were what caused her words and that they were not her true thoughts. Edward and Anne had always been, in both their eyes, a team, not a dictatorship where Anne was the leader. He knew she must have been over exaggerating the point. "We haven't been sleeping, Anne, there was very little we could do."

"And why is that?" She asked, looking at them both as if they were without brains.

"Well, mister Cromwell is the Earl of Essex now, you must know that. Essex is much more important that Hertford and because of his closeness with the King, Cromwell's word seems to rule at council." Thomas explained quite level headedly.

Thomas's increasing knowledge was starting to really annoy Edward. He had always loved being the smart one, who made the right decisions, while Thomas usually did not think before he did. In their youth, before Edward had been married to Catherine, Edward had always bedded the better looking women, well Thomas seemed to catch the easy ones, who were nothing to brag about. Even in marriage, Edward had outdone Thomas, who was still unmarried. _What a useless prick. _He shot Thomas a glance of semi-hatred and then looked back to Anne. "The King is convinced that marrying this Protestant sister of the Duke of Cleves is a good idea in terms of the reformation, or perhaps it is more Cromwell himself who thinks that, I'm not sure but either way, the King is siding with Essex."

Anne growled and began to pace back and forth in front of the two men. Thomas watched her with glossy eyes, admiring her beauty from afar, even when she had a growing baby bump protruding from her body. Edward watched her with worry. He was afraid she would get herself in a fit and hurt the child, or herself. He then looked at Thomas and hit him across the arm.

"What are you doing?" he whispered furiously, having caught his glossy eyed stare. He didn't know what to think of it.

"Uh, nothing." Thomas replied, scratching his head.

Edward narrowed his eyes at his brother, so much that they were merely slits of madness. _I know that look… _"I would hope so." He warned without threat. "You know Thomas, you're thirty two years old, don't you think you should be looking for a wife? Wasn't the Duke of Norfolk interested in having you marry his daughter?"

Anne stopped pacing and looked towards her husband and his brother, having heard bits and pieces of their conversation amidst her thought. _He must know, it's taken him several years but he must see it now. _She bit her lip and looked at Thomas's expression. He looked distraught, to say the least. He was probably thinking the same thing as Anne, _he knows. _Why else would Edward bring up Thomas's marital status so suddenly? He never seemed to care before, but something just now had set him off and suddenly he was bringing up the topic. "Why are you bothering Thomas about that?" Anne asked, though she didn't know why. _Should I not be happy my husband is shooing his brother away from me at last? That he has recognized his attraction to me? Why did I have to speak? _

"What?" Edward asked, turning his head to Anne. "I think it would be good for him, to have a wife _of his own_ and perhaps some children. He's doing well now, I'm sure he could marry someone half decent. Mary FitzRoy is a good prospect."

Thomas dared not look at Anne, though he wished to look into her dark eyes and find comfort, he could not risk Edward catching him. He felt like a rabbit being hunted, one that had rushed back into his hole to take cover and found a bow and around pointing down at him, with no where to go to escape. Edward finally realized that he had eyes for his wife, and he was not happy, but he was also not going to choose to accuse him directly because he did not want to truly admit to the fact that the situation that had happened with his father, was happening again with his brother, except for the fact Anne was not a cheating whore and loved her husband very much. _Why, I cannot understand. He is cold and heartless. I wish I could stop this, but I have nothing to draw me away! I see Anne every day and when Edward is not with her, I like to keep an eye on her, especially when she is with child and so off kilter. I find myself worrying for my sister-in-law's well being, and I wish I did not, not in the way I do anyways. I need to get out of this. _"Yes, uh, Mary is a good prospect, I'm just not sure if I have time for a wife, and children, right now."

"There's always time for a family." Edward assured him, knowing well how to handle the two, work and play. "I'm sure you could handle it and you should take Norfolk's offer into consideration. He seems eager to have her married off again, and you should jump at the occasion, brother." Edward's tone was calm and caring but on the inside a fire was brewing.

"I'll take the idea into consideration." Thomas replied, nodding his head once.

"I hope you do." Edward replied, before turning his focus back over to Anne. He realized now that he would have to pay closer attention to both his wife and his brother, especially when they were together. He would not be leaving them in rooms alone anymore, not if he could avoid it.

Anne felt very confused in the situation she was in. Originally she had wanted to tell Edward about Thomas's comment, so long ago on that one Christmas Eve, before Jane had passed, before Prince Edward was born, but now she found herself pitying Thomas. She felt bad for him. He had never loved someone like Anne and Edward loved each other. He had never met a woman who he liked more than Anne, _which is completely understandable_, she thought, and she found it hard to take that away from him now. If he was married he'd be unhappy, and frankly, it wouldn't stop him from looking at Anne, and thinking of her. He would only hurt whatever wife he took if he was forced into marriage, and Anne for some odd reason, found it fair to let him be free until he found someone else, _because he will certainly never have me._ She decided it best to hold her comments until later, though she remembered that it would be more difficult to convince Edward when she could not soften him up first, she would give it a try anyways.

Thomas was beginning to feel uncomfortable around Edward and as soon as possible, excused himself and informed his brother and sister in law he would be returning to Hampton for the time being. Edward was content with his brother for recognizing his silent threats, but Anne was not. As much as she fought with Thomas and disliked him at times, his company was nice to have when Edward was not around, especially when she was pregnant.

Edward had taken to sleeping with Anne during her pregnancy this time around, especially after her terrible nightmares when she was pregnant with Eddie. So when the two retired to bed that night, Anne brought her mind-boggling problem.

"Why is it suddenly such an urgent matter to have your brother married?" Anne asked as she slipped into her nightgown. "You never seemed to care about it before and Norfolk suggested the betrothal between Tom and Mary over a year ago now."

Edward frowned as he lay on the bed, watching Anne change. His hands were behind his head. "I just want him to be happy, Anne."

She cackled in response and walked over to the bed, slowly getting on and lying beside her husband. "When have you ever wanted anyone to be happy but yourself?"

"And you." He corrected her, and then laughed. "I guess you're right. I just want him out of my hair, then. Is that a more accurate response?"

"Better than your first reason, at least, that was just completely unbelievable. So, why do you want him out of your hair?"

Edward took Anne's hand into his and kissed it. "Because he's been staring at you like a lovesick fool, that's why."

_At least he was honest. _"He has?" Anne asked in sarcastic bewilderment. "He's been doing that since the day he met me, Edward." _I have that affect on men. _

He furrowed his brow. "I only noticed today, how could he have been doing it that long without me noticing?"

"He's good at hiding his feelings I guess." Anne said, shrugging. "Don't you feel bad marrying him off to a woman he does not want?"

He sat up a bit and looked her in the eyes. "Would you rather I let him marry the one he does want?" he demanded furiously. He threw her hand down and crossed his arms, looking out the window.

Anne sat up on her knees and stroked Edward's cheek. "I did not mean that, Edward. I just mean, can't you leave him be? Let him find someone on his own, like you did?"

"But what if he does not find anyone?" he asked, still looking away. Her touch was softening him though. His stubbornness wouldn't last much longer. "Then I'll just have to deal with him being lovesick over you?"

"No. Just give him sometime. He knows you know now; let him move on, on his own. If he doesn't over some time, then you can have him married. I mean he's thirty-two, but that's not that old for a man. He's high in the King's favour too, I'm sure in a few years he'll only aspire to more." _Why am I being so kind to that baboon? I should have him sent of with that Fitzroy girl for the rest of eternity. _

Edward raised an eyebrow at his wife. "I think you are going through a soft spot in your mood swings."

Anne laid back on the bed and put a hand to her head. "Oh God, me too. I don't even know what I'm saying anymore but I do have one request, that you just let him be, or else he'll never get over me and he'll be more of a pest than he already is."

Edward laughed and turned on his side to face Anne, removing her hand from her forehead. "Alright, I won't force him into anything, I just don't like the idea of my own brother going after my wife! You must understand where I am standing here."

"I do." Anne said, smiling softly at him. "I know what you've been through and I would never let you go through anything like that again. You give me no reason to ever treat you thus. You are a perfect husband to me, always by my side, and we are a good partnership. I wouldn't throw that away for nothing."

He believed her words, they were sincere and sweet, and it was a side of her he only got to see. He kissed her hand again and grinned. "You are the sweetest woman in England."

"On earth." Anne corrected him quietly.

"Yes, on earth." He agreed. "But you're sure, you have nothing for Thomas?"

Anne laughed, her laugh sounding like wind chimes on a slightly breezy day. "Nothing!" she said firmly. _Nothing. _She repeated to herself in her head. _How could I ever feel for a man like that? I would have to first go insane. _


	16. Pregnancy Blues

February 13th, 1540, the first of a new generation of Seymour girls was born, and she was named Anne, of course. Anne was no where near as fond of her as she was her first son, or even her second son, whom she constantly claimed not to like as much as her "little Edward". As soon as Anne was able, she returned to court and to her husband's side, where she was meant to be, and left the children at home.

Anne was furious upon her return to court, as she had missed the awkward marriage ceremony for the King and his new wife, Anne of Cleves, who Anne referred to as the horse, based on Henry's own words. She only refrained from using this nickname when she was in front of the Queen herself, and the Lady Mary, who seemed, oddly, to be quite fond of her.

"I hate you!" Anne burst into Edward's room yelling one afternoon. She then proceeded to burst into tears, once the door was safely shut and secured behind her, of course.

Edward scrunched his brow, feeling confused. "Why's that?" he asked.

"Because you are destroying my beautiful body!" She cried, looking down at herself. Edward could see no difference in her body from several days ago. She still looked perfect to him.

"But how?" He asked, becoming a little worked up due to her false accusations. "I hope you are not telling people that I hit you, because you are very lucky that I don't. Most women don't get the treatment you get."

"I am not telling people anything, you fool." She retorted, crossing her arms. "I am pregnant again."

Edward's annoyed look turned into a happy one. He walked over to her and put his hands on each of her arms. "Well that is good news, Anne, why are you so bothered by it? Your body has recovered well after each of your pregnancies, I think."

She shook herself away from him. "It's recovered but it will never be the same! Why must you do this to me? I have barely had a break in between! I am tired and I feel _old_ because my body is wearing away beneath me. I don't want to feel like this, I don't deserve to."

Edward laughed. "You're getting too worked up over this, and you must stay calm. You are beautiful; Anne and you are the perfect wife, the best in the world. How could I ever ask for better than you?"

She kept her arms crossed firmly in front of her, but she looked at Edward at last. "If you asked for better than me, you would receive nothing, because there is no one who would be a better wife, than I." She said, quietly, but also seriously.

"You're right." Edward agreed, ignoring her pompousness. When she was upset she was always that way, and he was used to do it, especially throughout her three pregnancies when her mood swings were at their best. He came closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. "You are perfect." He said, kissing her on the forehead.

Anne did not resist Edward's arms this time, she allowed him to comfort her, placing her head against his chest. "Thank you." She said quietly, taking Edward by surprise. It was not regular for her to be thankful for his compliments. Compliments were usually something she deserved on a daily basis, not something to be thankful for.

"You don't need to thank me." He said. "I am being honest."

"Then you really do treat me well." Anne said, looking up at him, her eyes a little red from crying. "Because it is not often that you are honest and true to people, Edward."

He laughed and kissed her nose. "You are a special woman."

Anne stayed at court until her lying in and was very thankful that she was at court to see Anne of Cleves be moved out of the palace in June. Sir Thomas Cromwell, the Earl of Essex, was also removed from the palace, but not in such a kind way; he was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London.

"I've heard the news already." Anne said as her husband came into the great hall looking ecstatic. After Jane's death, the relationship the Seymour's had with Cromwell fell apart.

"What great news it is." He said, grinning as he took a seat beside his wife.

"When will his execution be? Have they set a date?" She asked, crossing her fingers that it would be sometime in the near future, so she could attend. _I am not one who loves to see blood spill, but I will not miss the downfall of Essex. _

Edward shook his head. "He's subject to an Act of Attainder, so until Henry's annulment goes through, he will be kept alive, imprisoned in the Tower."

"Then it may take some time." She said, a little disappointed. She then remembered that there were far more important things to worry about. The King was having his marriage annulled, which meant there was, once more, an opening for a Queen of England. "Has His Majesty said anything of his plans for the future?"

"You mean his next wife?" Edward asked, knowing his wife too well. "No, not to me, probably not to anyone, but I've heard plenty of rumors."

"As have I. Should we share?" She asked, smiling.

"Alright." He replied. "I've heard it's one of Cleves's ladies-in-waiting he's interested in."

Anne did not need Edward to say anymore to know they had heard the same juicy information. "Catherine Howard. I've heard she's pregnant with his child."

Edward raised his eyebrows. He hadn't known that. "So, another whore will be on the throne then? Do you know how old that girl is?"

She nodded. "Seventeen. Not only will a whore be on the throne but a _naïve_ whore, which is even worse."

"I can only imagine how much trouble this one will cause for us, being young and stupid, and related to Norfolk." Edward said, scowling. "The man's nearly on his deathbed I presume, but God knows he won't stop till he's gone."

"He's already had one failure with the Boleyn whore, and now he's wishing to place a naïve little child on the throne! He's putting too many eggs in one basket here, one very weak basket."

Edward shook his head in disgust. He hated the Howard's more than any other family, now that the Boleyn's were gone. He also hated whores, and stupid people, so this girl, who was rumored to be on the yellow brick road to the throne of England, he would despise more than anyone else. His hand curled into a fist as he thought of all the mess this woman would cause if she made her way to the throne successfully. It would be a _big_ mess for him to clean up. "Norfolk can be quite an idiot, but he can also be devilishly wise."

Not knowing what he meant initially by the wise part of his remark, Anne considered Edward's words. Eventually she came to the conclusion that Edward thought the old Duke of Norfolk to be wise because he was sending a young girl into the arms of the King. His Majesty had now gone through four wives; perhaps a callow, young girl was exactly what he needed to keep him happy until the end of his life. "It's a shame, really."

"Mhm." He replied, looking around at the other people in the hall. He wondered if the little Catherine girl was somewhere in their midst, and he wondered if any of the rumors they had both heard were true.

On the 9th of July that year, the marriage between Henry VIII of England and Anne of Cleves, was annulled, which meant that Cromwell would finally meet his end at the chopping block. He was executed at the Tower on the 28th of July 1540. On that same day of joy for the Seymour's, came the truth about the rumors. Henry and little Catherine Howard were married the day of Cromwell's death and that news certainly turned Anne and Edward's smiles upside down. Their worst fears were confirmed, and they would have to begin working on a new plan of action with the child on the throne.

Edward noticed with haste that the King was quite happy with his new Queen at his side, despite her age and immaturity, which Anne was keen to point out when ever possible. If the King was happy, there was not much Edward could really complain about. Just because he did not complain, however, didn't mean that he liked the Queen, he was merely willing to deal with her as long as she was keeping His Majesty in good spirits.

"I don't find her that awful." Thomas said one afternoon as he sat with his brother and sister in law in the gardens of Whitehall.

Anne shot him a disgusted look. "You are one in a million then, Thomas."

Edward laughed, happy to hear and see his wife reacting appropriately to his brother. "Is she your type of woman then, Tom? Do you like them young these days?"

Thomas scowled at his brother. Had Edward not been there, he would have responded to Anne's words, but he was too nervous to say too much now. He imagined that he was still high up on Edward's hit list and he wouldn't dare to provoke him. "No, I don't." He replied coldly. "I just don't think she's as bad as you two think she is."

"But she's a threat to us!" Anne exclaimed. "She's a Howard girl, like the Boleyn one was."

"And why do you get the idea that she's going to try and overthrow us?" Thomas asked.

"Who wouldn't? Jane died four years ago and we're still here. Don't you think other families will recognize the fact they we clearly have some sort of grasp on the King?" Anne retorted, annoyed with Thomas's lack of common sense. Just when she was beginning to think he actually had a brain…

"I didn't think of it that way." He replied quietly, acknowledging the fact that he hadn't used his brain before speaking.

"Well, you need to learn to think the same way as we do, because court life is not easy Thomas. It's not a game, and not everyone is happy and kind. I don't know what twisted version of the court you've been seeing this whole time, but it's _**wrong**_." Anne explained, her voice a little louder than normal. "We cannot let anyone ruin what we have built from nothing. We have to hold onto our spots at the King's side and in his favour, as best we can. Little Catherine is a threat and so is everyone else in the world. Each family is on their own, and with one mistake from any one of us Thomas, everything we have worked so hard for will come crashing down on _all_ of us. You must use your head!"

Edward sat silently beside his wife as she ranted on and on to his brother about his behavior. He did not want to interrupt her while she was on one of her hormonal pregnancy rants because he feared her reaction would not be a good one. Anne loved to hear her own voice, especially when she was yelling at someone, and she hated when people cut in, so, Edward stayed silent until she ended her rant. "Anne is right." He said, supporting her points. "We cannot risk having any faults in our performances, do you understand?" His words were like the cherry on top of Anne's speech. He could always finish her rants with a nice manly threat.

"Of course I understand." Thomas snapped back. "I will tread through the palace like I am walking on water."

Anne nodded her head firmly, hoping he truly did understand what she had said. "You best. Now, what can we do about the little queen?"

"We'd do best not to act too quickly. She has the King wrapped around her pinky finger. We need something solid to bring her down." Edward said. "We'll have to keep our eyes and ears peeled for any rumors about her, anything strange at all. Thomas, if you like her so much, you may do best to spend some more time around her."

Thomas shot his brother an irritated glance, and then turned away. He couldn't look into Edward's eyes and speak to him, it made him feel strange. "If that's what I have to do for the family, then I will, but I'm not doing it just for your amusement. Plus, I don't even like her! I was just trying to be fair."

"Life's not fair." Edward replied, staring his brother down. "If you just stick around her when you can, you might overhear something."

"Alright, I'll do it, but like I said, it's for the family, not you." Tom replied in a huff. He looked to Anne for a moment to see her reaction to their argument, since he knew how much she hated when they argued. She was looking at Edward with eyes he had never given Thomas, and he grinded his teeth in jealousy.

Edward laughed, he hadn't caught Thomas's quick glance at his wife this time. "You're a fool." He said, shaking his head. He then looked to Anne. "Should we take a walk? Leave Thomas alone to his thoughts?"

Anne nodded her head, putting a hand to her belly. "It would be good to stretch my legs a bit before I am confined to my _stupid_ room for a month again!"

Edward chuckled and stood up, putting his arm out for Anne to take and steady herself with as she stood. He looked back to Thomas with a grin. "You could get started early on eavesdropping if you'd like. Perhaps you'll find yourself a wife amongst the little one's ladies." He teased.

Thomas grumbled and stood up himself, saying nothing more to Edward before he stalked off towards the palace. Anne watched him walk away and Edward gave her a curious look.

"Don't worry, I'm just wondering why he's so moody. It's as if he's pregnant too." Anne joked.

"He's always been like a woman." Edward said, rolling his eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Anne demanded. "You don't see me whining like he does, do you?"

"Well…" Edward began, smirking a little. When she was pregnant Anne was certainly a hand full, but she was never a whiner. "I'm kidding. You are not just any woman Anne, you know that I don't categorize you with the rest of the female population."

She beamed and encouraged him to begin walking. "I belong to a category all of my own."


	17. Uncrossed Bridges

Henry Seymour was born later that year, 1540 in November. Once again Anne was in high spirits to have that "_damn thing_" out of her and was eager to return to her husbands side at court. Despite her excitement to rid this child from her body, she found herself quite fond of her new son, who she found much better looking than Eddie.

"I think he's my favourite." She told Edward as she lay on the bed, Henry in her arms. She looked down at him with delight and touched his little lips with a finger. "He's good looking."

Edward raised his eyebrows at her. "He's an infant, you can't judge that sort of thing yet. How many times have I had to tell you so?"

Anne looked up at Edward coldly and then back to the child. This time around, Edward seemed quite irritated to be ripped from his business at such an inconvenient time. As he sat with Anne that day he complained constantly of all the things he would have to do once they returned to the palace in preparation for Christmas and other things. Anne merely rolled her eyes at him after every complaint. He was beginning to ruin her good mood. "If you're just going to complain, Edward, then perhaps you should leave."

Edward looked at her, shocked by her words, but then looked away and sighed. He knew he was being a downer; it was just difficult for him to draw himself away from work lately. "My apologies wife, I'm just not used to being idle."

"Well you needn't be idle just because you are home." Anne retorted. "You have a new son!"

He looked back at her, biting his lip and then inched a little closer to her and the child on the bed. He examined the child only with his eyes at first and then offered his arms.

Anne smiled and placed the baby into his hold carefully. Edward was never good at handling children, though, not to say Anne was either. They preferred to leave the work to their household employees. When Edward took Henry in his arms, he at first looked very awkward, but then pulled Henry closer to him and began to admire his looks. "I suppose he is good looking." He acknowledged to Anne's pleasure. "For a baby."

Despite Anne's love for her new son, she returned to court with her husband for the Christmas celebrations, just in time to watch the little queen be spoiled to death by her husband. Anne was coldly reminded of the time Henry had approached her and rolled her eyes in irritation multiple times throughout the night.

To Anne's relief, the Lady Mary was in attendance at the celebrations that year and so she could vent her dislike for the new queen to her, who also disliked her.

"She is _too_ young." Mary insisted as they sat in a corner of the hall talking quietly. Edward had gone off to converse with the King and the Duke of Suffolk. "I do not see how my father believes her to be a good wife."

"He does because the Duke of Suffolk made the suggestion." Anne explained. "When he tired of Anne of Cleves, the Duke was quick to put in a good word about one of her ladies: Catherine."

Mary sat back in her seat, sighing a little. "I hoped that Suffolk would give my father good advice as he once has, but now, he has clearly given him quite the opposite. Lady Anne is a lovely woman, I don't understand why she needed to be replaced."

Anne decided not to comment on the Cleves girl as she, personally, did not find her to be a suitable queen. She merely forced a light smile. "I can't imagine this one lasting long."

"You can't?" Mary asked, surprised. "She has years ahead of her, and she comes with child, then we may all be in for a long-term torturous marriage. I do hope she is incapable of bearing a child."

"As do I, my lady. Between you and I, I hope for nothing more than her failure. She is a Howard yet she is not a devout Catholic woman. I've heard many a rumor about her behavior before she came to be a lady-in-waiting. She must be aware of the fact that nothing is secret here, which is why I believe her tenure will be much shorter than she expects."

Mary nodded her head, agreeing with everything Anne had said in her own mind. "We are on the same page then, my lady Hertford. I will not ask what rumors you have heard, as I am sure they will soon reach my ears."

"Without a doubt, my lady." Anne agreed. She knew Mary was much less of a gossip than she and tried to act mature in all situations that were thrown at her. It was something Anne secretly admired about Mary, but also something she believed, in the end, would prove itself as a weakness. "How do you fair these days?"

"Well, of course. I prefer my life in the country to life at the palace any day, but my father has requested that I come to stay here."

"And how will you respond?" Anne asked. "I hope with an acceptance of his offer. It would be a wise decision."

"I don't really have any other choice, do I?" Mary asked, raising her eyebrows.

"I suppose not, but why would you not wish to come stay here?" Anne asked. "Certainly being close to your father has been something you've always desired. Why not take the chance while you have it?"

Mary couldn't argue with Anne's words, and her only reason for not wishing to stay at court was now because of her relationship with her new stepmother, who was _younger_ than her. She sighed. "I have no legitimate reason for wishing to stay away from court. It's now only my dislike for the new Queen that makes me wish I did not have to stay here."

"Don't fear her, she's a girl of seventeen. You're older than her. She has no right to make you feel uncomfortable." Anne reminded her.

"But she is Queen, and I am merely the daughter of the King. She has precedence over me whether I like it or not and there is really very little I can do about it."

"She still has to treat you with respect. Your father has invited you to stay here for a reason, use him as your weapon against her."

Mary nodded and sat forward. "Thank you for your kind words, Nan, but I wish to speak of other things. How are you and your children?"

"Well." Anne said shortly. "You received my letter about my new son? I find it strange that I am so fond of him, when he is nothing but a small infant."

Mary's laugh sounded like chimes in the wind. "It's not such a strange occurrence to find your own son charming." She assured her with a smile. "You must push yourself to be more in touch with your emotions if you feel that way with your children, Nan."

Anne blinked, trying to understand. _It's perfectly normal to look at children the way I do. Relationships with them are abnormal. _"I will work on that." Anne lied, smiling to her friend.

Mary returned the smile graciously. "And how does your husband? And his brother, Thomas? That is his name, is it not?"

"Yes, Thomas, that's him." Anne replied dully. She couldn't fathom why anyone would be interested in Thomas's well-being or life. "They are both well. I, of course, see more of Edward than Thomas, but from what I know they are on the same boat health wise. Edward is very busy with work however." _I fear it shall one day take him away from me…_ she thought with a momentarily apprehensive look.

"I know Thomas because he makes an effort to speak with me when I visit." Mary said, clearing up the confusion. "I'm glad to hear both of them are well though, but you sound worried about something. May I ask what you are worried about?"

"Worried?" Anne asked, acting taken aback by the question. "Why should I be worried?"

Mary laughed and shook her head. "Perhaps I read your tone wrong. It is nothing."


	18. Trouble in Paradise

Anne did not forget Mary's words quickly. She as now constantly worried that something was worrying her, which was really just mind-boggling. She tried to glue herself to Edward at all times to make sure nothing was wrong between them. She constantly questioned him with a large range of queries about their relationship at the ready. She also made sure that they went to bed together as much as possible, to keep their relationship strong, despite his increasingly terrible work habits. Of course, lying together every day for four months brought pregnancy to Anne's life once more. She couldn't even be furious with Edward this time since it had been mostly her own fault.

Anne passed by the King one morning as she returned from Mass, and he called out to her. She turned around and curtseyed to him, luckily having no belly yet to get in her way. "Your majesty." She said. _I hope he does not think I have forgotten that day._

"Lady Hertford." He said, walking over to her. He had been standing with a few men, but he shooed them away with his hand. "How are you?"

Anne was not in the mood for small talk, especially not with the King. "As well as I can be with another child in my belly, your majesty. Is there something you need?"

Henry looked her up and down, definitely regretting his decision not to force her into an annulment with Edward and then condemn her to a marriage to him. "The Earl has told me you are with child once more." He said, a hint of jealousy in his tones. The little queen still had not given him a son, nor shown any signs of pregnancy. "That is good news."

Anne looked at him, waiting for him to say more but he didn't. _Just as I suspected: small talk. _"It is, your majesty." Anne agreed awkwardly. She was sure that he was only saying it was good because he had to be polite. She remained silent, waiting to see if he would speak to her again; he had never answered her question. Had he stopped her for a purpose, or he was merely wasting her time?

"The court will leave on progress soon." He stated plainly. It looked as if he was regretting engaging in conversation with her to begin with. He had only wanted to speak to her, see how she was, then go, but even he knew well she was not the kind of woman to have small talk. "Will you be coming?"

Anne shook her head. _What a pointless question._ "No, your majesty. Edward has told me he will stay here, and so I will stay with him, as a dutiful wife should."

Henry raised his eyebrows. "Originally I had decided to leave London in the Earl's hands, but I recently had a change in heart, and insisted that he come along. Did he not tell you?"

Anne looked at him curiously. "No, he did not." She said, trying to seem neutral. "I should ask him about it then. How recently did you change your mind, your majesty?"

"A month ago." Henry said, looking out the window for a moment.

"I will go speak to him about it right away." Anne said, mock-sweetly. She was digging her teeth into the inside of her lip as she curtseyed to the King once more. "If you'd excuse me, your majesty."

The King nodded to her and then continued to walk in the direction he had been heading before hand. He knew well that he had stirred the pot between Edward and Anne, and he was quite content with himself for getting his revenge on the woman who did not like his touch.

Anne stalked off towards Edward's room, holding her anger back until she arrived. She knocked on the door heavily and hoped he was there. _How dare he!_

After a few seconds, Anne heard Edward's voice call "come in" and so she did, slamming the door heavily behind her.

He did not even bother to look up from his papers. "What is it, Anne?" he asked. His failure to properly acknowledge her just made her angrier. She stood in front of the door and did not come any closer.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked, not quite yelling yet. "Why didn't you tell me you were going on progress again?"

Edward had to look up now, but he was not ready to face her eyes. He looked at her gown. "I forgot."

"How could you forget, you're leaving in a month." She retorted.

"Well, I didn't tell you because you're with child." He offered as an answer instead.

"His Majesty told me that he changed his mind a month ago. I was not with child a month ago. Do you not want me to come with you?" She asked, a little bit of sadness in her eyes.

Edward sighed and stood up from his desk, walking over to the other side. He approached her slightly, but dared not come all the way to her just yet. He knew she hadn't let everything out yet, and that could be dangerous for him. "Of course I would like you to come Anne, but what if you go into early labor? It was a choice I made for your own safety."

"There would be physicians with us, Edward, you must be joking. You know well the King will bring a whole team of medical persons with him because of his leg. Do not play me for a fool!" She snapped back. "And either way, I already know you knew about this almost an entire month before you found out I was with child. Why did you not tell me originally? Would you have just left suddenly, and not told me you were going?"

"No, I wouldn't have done that." He said, truthfully. He came a bit closer to her, but still didn't reach out to touch her. "Listen, I have a lot of work to do, I'm sure you can see that now, and well, progress is no vacation for the council. We're always hard at work; you must understand that I preferred you to stay home so I could get some work done. You're distracting."

Anne's mouth dropped open. "You could have just told me that to begin with! I thought we were supposed to be honest with each other, and have no secrets. What happened to that? Did you not think it applied to you?"

"You know and I know that you would have been angry no matter when I told you, and it's not like I was never going to tell you I was going! I would never just disappear on you without explanation." Edward replied, his voice beginning to reach a yell too but he then repressed his tone to a whisper. "I love you, Anne."

"But you love His Majesty and your work more." She said, turning her head to the side. She was more hurt than she could show by him keeping something secret from her; she really didn't care how important the actual matter was. He had not forgotten to tell her, he was just going to keep her in the dark until the day he left and then come up with some lie for why he now, suddenly had to go on progress.

Edward could not let her stand alone anymore. Part of him wished to yell back at her, but the other part wanted to comfort her, and explain himself. He realized now that keeping things from Anne was never a good solution. It was always best to tell her things straight up, and he was doing this for their family, for hopes of future advancements. "I don't." He said shortly, not knowing what else to say. "I could prove it in a million ways, Anne. I promise you, on my life, that I love you more than anything or anyone else on this earth."

She had to admit his words softened her up a bit, but she was still upset. She looked back to him as he touched her arm lightly, meeting his gaze. "Fine, I believe you but I still don't understand why you kept this from me, or why you think I can't be perfectly behaved and not distract you."

Edward furrowed his brow lightly then sighed. "I'm sorry, I guess I wasn't thinking. I guess I assumed you wouldn't be able to control yourself."

Anne opened her mouth a bit. "You don't know me as well as you should then, because by now, you should know very well that I can very easily control myself."

He raised his eyebrows at her as she became angry with him once again. _Can she really control herself at all?_ He decided to ignore the thoughts in his mind as he put a hand to Anne's cheek. "I do know you well." He attempted to assure her with only his words. He truly did know her better than she made it seem, better than anyone except Anne herself. "I promise, I just wasn't thinking straight, and I apologize for that."

Anne was surprised that Edward seemed to be giving up the fight so easily. Usually when they bickered at each other it would last longer than this, but she could tell he was tired, not of her, but from work and such. He couldn't handle a drawn out argument right now. She sighed and decided to give up her side, for now, mainly because he was not reacting the way she wanted him to, and also because the subject made her more sad than angry. "Alright." She said, looking down and then back into his eyes. "I understand."

"Good." Edward replied and kissed her on the lips. In his mind, he was quite surprised that Anne had given up just as quickly as he had, but Anne never liked to fight when winning was not a big deal. "Now, I have to get some work done, but I'll see you tonight. We can sleep together."

Anne nodded her head in reply, but was very quiet. A few moments ago she had to come to a very sad realization; something in their relationship was beginning to go wrong and though Edward was blind to it because he was severely distracted, Anne's distraction from everything else _was_ Edward, so she noticed right away. _Work is beginning to consume his life._ She sighed quietly and then kissed Edward on the cheek, turning away from him and opening the door. "Goodbye husband." She whispered as she left. She felt as if she was saying goodbye to the part of their relationship she had, regrettably, grown so fond of, and that was their union, the partnership they had formed and been for so long. She left that room feeling like, if it hadn't been lost already, it was about to be. Of course, Anne was never one to give up, especially not on the one thing in her life that actually meant something to her. She walked back to her room holding back tears, but when she arrived there she realized it wasn't over; everything could be fixed.


	19. Coming Together for the Greater Good

**A Request: If you read this, please review it! :) I know some of you do, but there are a lot of people following in it and I like to read the reviews, so it would be greatly appreciated! Thanks everyone! Enjoy! **

With Edward off on progress with basically the entirety of the court, Anne had a lot of time to herself. She returned home for two months, spending some time with her little Henry, and some time with her other children, but mostly she confined herself to her rooms to think. When she returned to court, the summer progress was on its way back home and Anne had a plan at the ready to fix her and Edward's relationship.

Many rumors had flown about the palace, much before the court had left for progress, about the little queen's loyalty to her most royal of husbands. Anne had listened carefully to all the ones she had heard (which was probably all of them) and stored them in her head for safekeeping. She had never thought that one day these rumors would be put to such good use; she was going to use the information to win back Edward's attention and to distract him from work. It was the best plan she could come up with for the moment, and her quick thinking had always impressed Edward, so she thought it was a good place to start. He still loved her; she knew that, it was just prying his attention away from work that would be difficult.

When the court made it back to the palace at last, Edward's interest in Anne stood above all others, but only for a night and to Anne's dismay that night had to go to waste since she was still pregnant. A night where they could not lay together however, was easily used in Anne's favour to speak to Edward of what she had heard while he was away.

"How was the progress?" Anne asked, as she sat down across from her husband, a goblet in her hand.

"Busy." Edward replied. He had one night to escape from his work and he wished that Anne did not have to bring it up. "I missed you."

Anne's heart warmed with his remark, but she knew that she had far from won the battle. They had not seen each other for several months; of course he had missed her. _He should have thought about that before he didn't invite me along! _"I missed you too darling, but please, tell me of your time away."

"I wish not to speak much of it, Anne. It was not very exciting; all work and no play." Edward replied, shrugging.

_I would certainly hope there was no play._ Anne nodded her head, hearing a warning in Edward's tone. "That's a drag." She said, somewhat sarcastically. She wanted to remind him of the mistake he had made, the way he had treated her.

He watched her carefully, taking in her expression and the tone of her voice. He decided to ignore her reminder temporarily and he leaned forward in his seat, putting his hand on her knee. He rubbed it and smiled up at her, bringing memories back. "I am glad to be back in London, where my heart is." He assured her, squeezing her leg. He then released her and inched his chair closer so he could reach her stomach. He put a hand on her belly. "How is our child?"

For a moment, Anne froze. When Edward had put his hand on her knee she had been reminded of their first meeting and it made her heart ache in longing for an Edward who had eyes for nothing but her. She took a breath in and moved her hand to place it on top of his. She couldn't bear to look into his eyes for that moment. "Well, of course. I am a seasoned child carrier." She joked, though judging by her tone, one wouldn't have known. She sounded hollow and distant.

Edward looked her in the eyes, and felt his stomach turn slightly as he realized she was not looking back into his. One thing they had always been good at was eye contact, but now Anne would not look at him and he knew why. "What else did you get up to while I was away?" He asked, swallowing his worry. "No trouble, I hope."

"Husband, you should know I always get up to trouble." Anne replied, taking a sip from her goblet, still refusing to turn her eyes to Edward. There was the trace of a smirk on her face, but she was holding back. "I've been around… kept my ears and eyes peeled for anything important." Out of the corner of her eye, Anne could see Edward raise his eyebrows.

"Well, did you hear or see anything of interest?" he asked.

"Perhaps." Anne replied slyly. She finally turned her gaze to him as she swirled the liquid in her goblet around. "I am not sure if you'd be interested."

Edward knew well that his wife was teasing him, and since he had no idea what she may have heard while he was away, curiosity filled him and he looked into her eyes with yearning. "You know well that I am always interested in these things, wife. Do tell."

Anne smirked at him and stood up slowly from her seat, walking towards the window. Edward was quick to stand and follow behind her. "I may have worded that wrong. I should have said I am not sure if you _deserve_ to know what I know."

Edward furrowed his brow slightly as Anne looked at him with that content smirk on her face that she bore when she knew something he didn't. "Anne, I am sorry about before, I have told you that already. What else must I do?"

She shrugged seemingly carelessly. "You will have to work harder than that to regain my trust. Surely you must know that, husband?"

"I do not think I have treated you as badly as you are thinking. You're blowing this entire situation out of proportion for your own amusement!" He argued.

Anne turned to him completely, one hand on her belly, her mouth open slightly. "Do you really think that?" She asked, appalled. "Then I should think you truly don't want to know what I know. I should think to keep it to myself, or perhaps, I'll tell Thomas instead."

Edward's eyes widened in anger. "You will tell Thomas nothing." He said, getting in Anne's face. Anne looked him in the eyes fearlessly.

"I will do as I wish." She replied and began to turn from him but he grabbed her arm before she could get away. He turned her back to him and looked at her with fierce eyes.

"I am very lenient with you, Anne. I allow you to do almost everything you please, but I _**am**_ your husband and when I asked for something you _**will**_ listen and obey." Edward snarled. She had clearly pushed him too far with the Thomas remark.

Anne attempted to pull her arm away but Edward's grasp was much to firm. "Let go of me." She ordered. "I will tell you nothing if you continue to death grip me in such a violent manner!"

For the few moments that Edward had been holding on to Anne's arm, he hadn't really been thinking. His anger had overcome him and he had acted and spoken without consideration. His eyes were still wide, but a lot less angry. He released Anne's arm quickly, putting his hand to his side. "You best not speak to Thomas of anything, especially alone."

Anne rubbed her arm; a red mark had formed from the tightness of Edward's grip. She looked up at him with disgust. "I was only teasing you. You know better than anyone, better than even Thomas himself, what I think of him!" She looked back down at her arm, stroking it lightly and then back at him. "How dare you grab me like that? What has happened to you?"

Edward looked down at her arm with confusion and then attempted to reach out to touch her, but she shifted back as if she was afraid. He sighed but didn't give up. He looked into her eyes and then reached gently out for her elbow, too quickly for her to notice. He placed his other hand on her arm, stroking her where his fingerprints had left a mark. He looked at her sadly, but he couldn't bring himself to apologize since it had been the green monster inside of him that had acted that way and not him. He hated the way Thomas's name came off Anne's lips and it had brought him to his breaking point. He leaned over and kissed Anne's arm lightly. "We used to keep no secrets from each other." He said quietly. "Can we not return to the way things used to be, instead of what they have become?"

Anne had watched Edward with careful eyes as he kissed her arm, stroking it with his gentle fingers. "I don't know if we can, Edward…" She said, honestly, revealing her distress to him. "I want to, but when you act in such a manner, how can we?"

"It is not only me that is acting foolishly." He reminded her sternly. "You are provoking me on purpose with matters you know trouble my mind on a day to day basis. You have no idea how glad I was to have Thomas come on progress with us, and have him far away from you, or how glad I was to at last, return home to my wife. I am not good at speaking of my feelings and emotions, like you, but I will admit that I felt terribly for lying to you. There was not a day, not even an hour that went by while on progress, where I did not think of it. You were constantly on my mind, Anne, I swear to you."

"You do not need to swear." Anne said, looking away for a moment. She believed in his guilt, she just wasn't sure how she was supposed to react to it. "I should have reacted more maturely to the situation to begin with, or perhaps not attached myself to your hip at all times. I hope you realize now, after leaving me alone for several months, that I am perfectly capable of separating myself from you when you need it." She decided not to tell him that she had spent most of his time away locked in her room. It was a weak part of her he did not need to see.

"I see that very clearly now." Edward replied, nodding. "I wish I had of realized before, but I know now that I will never make that same mistake again. Will you forgive me for keeping something from you?"

Anne looked back to him and sighed. "Yes, I will, as long as you promise never to lie to me or withhold information from me again, and as long as you promise never to touch me like you just did, never to let your anger take hold of you like that."

"I promise." He said, hoping he could stick to his word. If he didn't, he feared what Anne's reaction would be a second time around. _It's not as if she could divorce me, what do I fear? Losing her love. _Edward looked his wife up and down with concern. "You should sit down."

Anne did not argue with him, and allowed him to lead her back over to their seats. He sat down beside her and took her hand in his, stroking it, _like he used to_. He looked at her with loving eyes, _like he used to._ Without even disclosing the information she knew to him, she had already got them this far. Her only question was, would it stick? "Do you still wish to know what I heard?" she asked.

"Only if you wish to disclose it to me." He replied calmly. He didn't want to be even slightly forceful with her. He knew how much she loved to make her own decisions, so he would allow her this one.

"I do." Anne said, after a few moments of looking him over.

He smiled slightly and brought her hand to his lips. "Tell me then."

"While you were all away, I had little company but the maids, and they spoke of our little queen often. They spoke of several appointments she has made over the year to some of her old friends, from the house of the dowager Duchess of Norfolk. I am sure you are aware, husband, of the fact that she appointed a personal secretary and a musician?"

Edward nodded. "Francis Dereham and Henry Manox. She informed the council and the King of these appointments."

"Yes, well, the maids seem to believe, or rather, one of them claims to _know_ for a fact that these men had a history with the little Catherine Howard before she became queen. I, of course, took into consideration upon hearing such rumors, that it was maid's talk and could easily be all lies. I wouldn't ignore the fact that I had heard such gossip of course. A few weeks ago, the Archbishop of Canterbury himself came to the palace, and found that, as I had just returned from home, I was virtually the only one he could speak to. Mister Cranmer is aware of the fact that I am your wife, and he decided to trust me with some very important information which I believe he will present to the King himself, as soon as he has compiled all the information he needs."

"What is it?" Edward asked curiously.

Anne smiled at his reaction, and his eagerness. "The Archbishop has been in contact with a man named John Lascelles. He's a Protestant man, and his sister, Mary Hall, was one of the chambermaids in the dowager Duchess's household." Anne's smile quickly turned to a grin. "Mary admitted to having witnessed Catherine Howard with the two men that she has recently appointed to her household, Francis and Henry, having sex."

Edward could not believe her words. He shook his head. "You're saying that the Queen has previously had carnal knowledge of other men, two men which she has only just recently appointed to her household with ease?"

"Yes." Anne said, nodding her head, a smirk on her face. "The Queen of England shall once more be charged with treason, I think. Do you realize what that means?"

"We'll be getting the Howard girl and the Howard family, away from the crown." Edward stated.

"Yes!" Anne exclaimed happily.

"And Cranmer is sure of all this?" Edward asked.

"More than sure." Anne assured him. "He has told me he will write to the King with all the information as soon as he has compiled all the information and proof that he can."

Edward grinned. "I do hope that he does a good job with this letter, of course, the King cannot ignore the truth. It may take time, but he will be inclined to accept the fact that his young wife is a naïve whore and then he will have to get rid of her, and when he does, she will shame the Howard name once more, just like her cousin." Edward placed his hands on either of his wife's cheeks and kissed her on the lips. "Forgive me for ever treating you the way I have, you are the most spectacular woman a man could ever ask for, and you deserve to be treated like a queen."

Anne laughed happily and kissed her husband back. At last, she felt like she had secured their relationship. They were once again working as a team, and she would make sure that it stayed that way, for if she had to go through the pain of being ignored and regarded secondarily to anything or anyone else again, she would not stand for it.


	20. His Most Lonely Majesty

Although it took a few months for Cranmer to compile his information and write a proper letter to the king, by November 2nd Henry was aware of his wife's mishaps before marriage and of her pre-contract for marriage with her private secretary, Francis Dereham.

Henry did not believe what he read at first, and refused to consider Cranmer's information valid. He insisted on further investigation, and after a few days, the truth was told once more and Henry had to accept the fact that all the allegations against his wife were true. All the investigations pried Edward away for a few days, as he was ordered to get information out of Francis Dereham and Thomas Culpepper, who was also accused of having carnal knowledge of the little queen.

Once Henry was finally convinced of the matter, he had Catherine locked away in her rooms until further decisions were made. She was left with only one lady-in-waiting, Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford, who was the wife of the horrid Boleyn brother until his death.

"It must be terrible having such dreadful company on your last days as Queen of England…" Anne commented as she stood with Edward in the hall amongst others. "Do you think he'll take the Lady Rochford down with her? I heard she was assisting in some of the affairs."

Edward shrugged. "There's no way of knowing what His Majesty will do right now. He's terribly furious. I only hope his anger leads him to make good decisions as to the little queen's fate and not bad ones."

"What would you consider good?" Anne asked, raising an eyebrow. She had an idea as to what Edward considered good, but she loved to hear him say it.

"Anne, you must kno-" but Edward's voice was cut off by the sounds of shrieking and yells in the hall. Both his and Anne's heads and bodies spun around immediately so they could get a better glimpse of who was making the sounds. Banging footsteps could be heard in the mix, and every noise echoed through the hall as it was made, causing quite a commotion.

It took a few seconds for the source of the screams to be found, and for the words to become clear to Anne's ears, but once she could see over the crowds of people in front of her, she realized that it had been the little queen, escaped from her chambers, who was yelling as loud as she could. Her words had been muffled by the sounds of the people in the hall, but Anne heard them clearly now. She called for _His Majesty_ in a final attempt to get his attention. By the looks of it, she knew Henry was at Mass in the chapel as well, as she was running in that direction.

"How pathetic." Anne said quietly, shaking her head. She had yet to feel any pity for the tiny whore.

Edward didn't say a word. He watched the girl run and the guards follow and stop her from going any further. He sighed a little, wondering if she could go and yell at her for such inappropriate behavior, when he saw Thomas come up behind and speak to one of the guards quickly. The guard nodded in response and Catherine was dragged away, back to her lonely rooms with no company but the Lady Rochford.

Thomas caught his brothers' gaze and smiled walking over to him and Anne. Edward crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Thomas plainly. "Since when are you involved in any of this?" Edward asked.

"The King asked me to go speak to the Queen today, and I was supposed to make sure she stayed in her rooms." Thomas replied. He smiled at Anne for a moment, as if he was trying to impress her, but she merely blinked back at him.

"You didn't do a very good job." Edward noted. "You best be getting back to your post and keeping more of a keen eye on her, Tom. When His Majesty hears of this he won't be the least bit impressed by your failure to keep her contained in her chambers."

Thomas frowned at his brother. "If you say so, Edward." He replied, shrugging his shoulders to show he didn't really care what Edward thought. It was the guards who had truly failed to contain the little girl, not him. "Good day, Anne." He gave Anne a smile and a nod of his head before walking away.

Anne rolled her eyes at his back and looked up at Edward. "You had better make sure he's not fooling around and making foolish mistakes like this all the time. It will be our name that feels the shame, I can imagine, and we can't have that, can we?"

Edward uncrossed his arms and nodded shortly. "I know, Anne. I've got the situation under control."

"I'm not so sure you do." She replied, looking out into the crowd of chattering people. Edward didn't reply, he merely did the same as she and focused himself elsewhere.

On the 23rd of November, the little queen was queen no longer. She became known once more as Lady Catherine Howard, nothing more and nothing less. She was removed from her chambers, the queen's chambers, in the palace, and imprisoned in Syon House in Middlesex, for the winter.

The girl had not even faced her fate and people were already beginning to wonder if the King would take a new queen. Henry was getting on in age and was tiring quickly of the misbehaving wives he had in the past. Edward told Anne that the King often spoke of needing a mature wife, someone who did not need a babysitter, and that made Anne laugh.

On December 10th, Francis Dereham and Thomas Culpepper, the King's former groom, were executed at Tyburn. Culpepper had only to face hanging, but the poor Dereham boy was in for a lot more than that. Their heads could be viewed the next day on the London Bridge.

The entire Howard family was imprisoned in the Tower, and was threatened with the removal of their fortunes and goods. This was the best news Anne received during her lying in, which began at the end of November. Anne gave birth to a baby girl, who she insisted be named Jane after the late queen, her husband's sister.

Anne remained at home with her child up until the time the bill of attainder was passed on the 21st of January 1542. The bill declared that it was treason, punishable by death, if a queen consort failed to disclose her sexual history to the King within twenty days of their marriage or incited someone to commit adultery with her. The passing of this bill proved Catherine to be guilty without a doubt, and she was finally moved from Syon House to the Tower. On February 11th, the bill received Royal Assent and there was no timed wasted in scheduling Lady Catherine's execution.

February 13th, Catherine Howard was executed, beheaded with one stroke of the blade. Henry, Edward, Anne and Thomas did not attend the execution that day, and missed the girl's speech before death, as well as the terrified look that was plastered to her face when the blade came down upon her neck.

Anne and Edward's decision not to go had been last minute, and Thomas had decided to do the same, not wanting to be the only Seymour in attendance. Anne had insisted that she felt sick and did not want to go, but in reality the pity that had held off so long, finally arrived. As much as she disliked the seventeen-year-old Catherine Howard, she could not force herself to be present at her execution. It was something she dared not even admit to Edward, though she wondered if he felt any bit the same as her, since he seemed eager to stay and did not even try to convince Anne to go.

Catherine was forgotten as quickly as she had come, and the whole court's attention was focused well on the fact that the King would be looking for a new wife. With the Howard's generally out of the picture, new families were coming into the light with eligible bachelorettes to catch the King's eye, but from what it looked like, he was not interested, and many of the families were disappointed. Henry was now 51 years old and truly believed that he was no longer interested in the fresh meat he so often used to enjoy. He insisted that he was now looking for a stable wife, who could give him more children, but who would not cause him any more stress.

Knowing this description, Edward went on a hunt for an eligible woman, but the pickings were slim. Henry still took into consideration the beauty of his future wife, and finding a woman who was trustworthy and beautiful was a difficult task.

With Edward out on a hunt for a new wife for the King, and Thomas often missing for several days at a time, Anne was left alone at court and Henry was quick to force her attention upon him, despite the fact that she was pregnant again.

"You are once again with child, I hear?" Henry asked Anne. He had been sitting on his throne when he had called her over, and though she was unwilling in her mind, she was not able to be so upfront and so she had gone to him as he had beckoned. Henry had offered her a seat beside him and she had sat down most willingly, a hand on her small, budding stomach.

"I am, your majesty." She replied. _Isn't it obvious? Does it look as if I have just gotten fat? _"My husband is very happy."

Henry nodded his head, eyeing her belly and then looking up to meet her gaze. "He has told me so. I hope that I have not sent him away at a bad time?"

Anne almost furrowed her brow. _He knows very well he has sent Edward away at a bad time! How dare he try to fool me! He's really a terrible liar. _She smiled slightly and shook her head. "On the contrary, your majesty. I do not need Edward at my side at all times, not even during my pregnancies. I am perfectly fine without him."

She was clearly a better liar than him, because Henry seemed impressed by her stern response. "Lord Hertford is very lucky to have such an _able_ wife. If only I had found you myself before he got a ring on your finger. You would have made a good Queen of England, Lady Hertford, and you could have pleased me with many heirs."

"I know I would have." Anne replied pompously. It was something she had thought of many times before she had met Edward, when the King had been young and handsome. Now he was a fat barrel of waste and it was difficult for her to sit as close to him as she did. She forced a smile to her face and held her hands together on her lap.

Henry looked at her with lustful eyes. He put a hand on her knee and Anne, this time, did not budge as fast, but only because her belly was a weight on her body, and caused her to have a slower reaction rate to such approaches. "You are still very beautiful, even as you age, Lady Hertford. Are you happy in your marriage?"

Anne bit the inside of her lip uncomfortably. "I am very happy, your majesty. I love my husband more than I could love any other man in the world."

Henry raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Are you sure? You do not even wish to wander? He works so much, there are other men who would give more time to their wife."

"And what other men are those?" She asked quickly. He was getting on her last nerve by reminding her of the one thing that upset her: Edward's work habits.

Henry smiled, but did not respond to her question directly. He merely made a statement. "I am the King, Lady Hertford, and even I would make time for my wife even if I had none. What is stopping your husband from doing this?"

Anne scowled at him. "I don't know. My husband has his reasons. Perhaps it is because unlike you, my husband has things to gain from his work. He can still move up, while you are already at the top of the totem pole, and can have _others_ do your work for you! You even leave finding a new wife to those below."

"Perhaps that is how it appears, but how do you know I am not using my own means to find a wife?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. That was Anne's cue to jerk her leg away and stand up as quickly as she could. She sunk into a curtsey for the King, her brow furrowed.

"I do hope that you are not implying what I think you are implying, your majesty. My husband is your most loyal servant, this is not how you should be repaying him." Anne whispered. "Do not think that just because you are the King of England you can have every woman in the world."

Henry was more surprised than angered by Anne's words. He leaned back in his seat and looked at her. "Any other woman in this room would leave their husband as quick as they could to be with me." He said, matter-of-factly. He was right too, Anne knew that, and she was not trying to argue his point. "Why wouldn't you?"

Anne rose from her curtsey, assuming her full height and sighed very silently to herself at his words. If only he was not King and she could teach him a lesson for always speaking to her the way he did! "I am a loyal wife, your majesty, and I will remain so until my husband gives me a reason not to be, and he has never and I doubt he will ever."

"You are confident in Lord Hertford's loyalty." Henry noted. "You must love him."

"He is my husband." Anne replied shortly. She had no desire to discuss love with the King, a man who had now had five wives over a short time span. _Has he any idea what love is, truly? _

Henry nodded, rubbing his chin. "Indeed. If you ever find that your husband is no longer performing his duty properly, I hope you remember that there are _greater_ men who would have you." In Henry's mind he was annoyed with Anne's dislike for him, but he could not let her get away so easily. He had never felt rejection from a woman before in his life, except from Anne, and it bothered him.

Anne nodded her head curtly and curtseyed again. "Your majesty, good day."


	21. A Promise to Keep

"No luck finding a suitable woman?" Anne asked, as Edward came to her chambers in the palace late one night. He had finally returned from his venture around England, and with no prize for the King. He looked tired and aggravated.

"None whatsoever. Young broads by the dozen, but no women who could be trusted to keep the King happy and calm for the rest of his life." Edward said as he approached a table to pour himself a goblet of wine. "Why is it that there are no faithful women left in this world? They're all whores and harlots."

Anne looked at her husband with raised eyebrows, and he laughed.

"You are the only woman in the world who is not that way." He assured her with a smile. He came to her in her seat and touched her cheek, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "I tell you all the time that you are perfect."

She shone with happiness. "You are too sweet, husband." She told him, smiling. "Where has your brother been? Is he looking for a suitor as well? I swear I see him much less than usual."

Edward frowned for a moment. "I don't know where he is. I haven't spoken to him since I left. He's probably off doing something stupid, what else would you expect?"

Anne chuckled. "You are probably right. I can't imagine him doing anything prosperous, unless he's met someone he's interested in himself."

"If only." Edward said, rolling his eyes and taking a seat beside Anne. "Then he'd be off your case. It's very unlikely though. I've never seen him have eyes for any woman but you."

Anne sipped her own goblet and looked at her husband. "You're right, it is unlikely. You should take his infatuation with me more as a compliment than a threat, darling."

"Should I?" He asked sternly. "It's difficult for me to see the humorous side of the situation Anne. Thomas and I have always had a rift in our relationship and the fact that he would turn on me to have you in a second, makes it even worse."

"You should not worry so much about it, though. It's been so many years! I clearly have no interest in him and he's backed off a bit. He knows you'd kill him if he even dared to touch me. I think you are too concerned about him, and you need not be. Your attention should be focused on the King, and the potential opening we have right now." Anne directed him. "We need to find him a suitor, it must be us and not some other family. We need to find a woman who will be loyal to our family, and faithful to the King."

Edward sighed. "I know! It just seems to be an impossible task. I've looked from North to South and found no woman who is not already married who would be suitable. I'm beginning to worry that we're out of choices here…"

Edward continued to look around for a proper and able suitor for the King, but he was having no luck. A few days later, he returned to court once more empty handed and felt extremely disappointed with himself. Anne tried to cheer him up, but it was difficult to do so, especially when she was not in the best of moods herself.

The same day that Edward returned, Thomas at last made an appearance at court. Upon hearing this, Edward immediately called him to his privy meeting chambers with the intention of yelling at him until his ears were ringing. Anne was present too, ready and waiting to see Thomas cower in terror, but he reacted in a rather different manner.

"Where have you been?" Edward asked, his tone already extremely impatient. "We have things to do here and you've been absent for weeks, Anne tells me. What is so important?"

Normally, Thomas would have hung his head low and taken a verbal beating from Edward willingly, but this time he spoke up and spoke confidently to his brother. "I was attending to some business for the Lord Latymer." He said simply, as if this was enough of an explanation to suffice Edward's curiosity. He was very wrong to think so.

"What business? Who sent you to do so?" Edward demanded. "Why didn't you inform me of this beforehand?"

Thomas was still fearless. "Lord Latymer wrote to the King, and he sent me to deal with the problem. What more do you want to know, Ed?"

He scowled at his brother. "I want to know why he asked you to do this. What was the problem you were sent to deal with?" He hoped it was generally irrelevant and that the task the King had sent him on was one of more importance.

"Is it really that big of a deal to you?" Thomas asked, looking at Edward as if he were pathetic. Anne watched carefully and was quite surprised by the new form Thomas had taken. He was never like this before. "He just wanted to clear his name. He was implicated to be involved with the rebels of the North before, and he is very ill, and wishes not to be remembered by such implications, but rather by the fact that he was a most loyal servant to His Majesty."

Edward bit the inside of his lip and stood still behind his desk, running his hand through his hair. The problem definitely seemed minor, perfect for Thomas to deal with. He had no reason to be jealous. He also realized that Thomas had yet to glance once at his wife during this whole meeting, which made him quite content. "Very well." Edward replied shortly, sitting down. "Next time you're going away though, you should inform me. You had my wife worried."

Anne shot a confused look at Edward but did not speak.

To Edward's surprise, Thomas did not look at Anne. He sat down in a seat across from the desk and shrugged. "I am fine, and you are not father, Edward and I'm a grown man! I think I can come and go as I please without informing you."

Edward looked up at his brother and his eyes narrowed in fury. Anne quickly stood up and grabbed Edward's arm, looking into his eyes, forcing his gaze to re-direct to her own.

"He is right, husband. He's a grown man, and _I was not worried." _She whispered her last few words quite violently. She tugged at Edward's sleeve quite roughly, making sure he was listening to her, word for word.

Edward kept his eyes on hers and took a few deep breaths. He then relaxed his arm and Anne released it, returning to her seat at a brisk pace. She looked to Thomas but saw that his eyes only wandered to her for a moment, and then he looked away as if she had merely been a piece of the wall. _Has he no thank you's to say to me? I have just defended him for no reason at all and he has nothing to say! It appears he cannot even look at me. _

As Anne drifted off into a confused thought, Edward turned his attention back to his brother. "What has made you so brave, brother?" He asked, curiously. "Only a month ago you would never have dared to speak up to me."

Thomas shrugged, as if the entire conversation was boring him. Anne began to wonder why he was suddenly so content with himself when he had always been so insecure. "I am happy for once in my life, Ed."

"And that gives you courage?" Edward questioned, annoyed. "What's made you so happy? Do tell." Anne and Edward both looked up at Thomas with hungry eyes, wishing to know what could have change him so drastically when he had only been gone for a few weeks.

Anne stood up and rolled her eyes, not needing Thomas to reply to realize what it was. She knew that there were very few things that could change a person quite drastically: life, loss and _**love**_. "You've met someone, haven't you?"

Thomas looked taken aback by her assumption. "You said yourself that I am a grown man Anne. My business is my business."

Anne raised her eyebrows at him, unimpressed. "Thomas, you may be able to play games with your brother and act as if you are all powerful, but you are a fool to think you could play such games with me. Your business is _our_ business as we are your family, so do as your brother says, and _tell us._"

"Anne, you are a woman. I may have been under your spell before but I see now that you are not the light in my life, and you are quite bossy." Thomas replied coolly, but clearly with the wrong words. Now he did not only have Anne in a fit, but Edward as well who could not stand there and tolerate his brother's bashing of his wife.

"Are you hearing what you're saying at all?" Edward asked, coming around to the other side of his desk. "Or are you too thick in the head? Nobody speaks to my wife like that, ever!" He was resisting with all his power to ring his hands around Thomas's scrawny neck right at that moment and choke him to death.

Pieces of the old Thomas finally began to fall back together a bit, as he realized what he had said. Despite the fact that he had loved Anne for so long and received nothing in return, and was therefore quite bitter, he did not mean his words. He would always hold her above many other women, but no longer all of them. "I apologize, Ed, I wasn't thinking."

"When are you ever?" Edward demanded, throwing his hands up.

"I must have been while I was away." He said, a little more timidly. "Since I managed to win the heart of a beautiful woman."

Anne had been standing in the corner, trying to calm herself down before she flipped on the most idiotic Seymour brother. When she heard Thomas's words, which had been spoken in his usual tone of voice, she took a few steps over to them, but still held her distance. "Who is she?" She asked. "Don't pull the none of your business card again."

Thomas's cheeks went a little rosy at the mere thought of this apparently marvelous woman. Anne assumed he must have met some cheap harlot, drank too much and been convinced by her that she was the woman of his dreams. That seemed like something Thomas would fall for, what with his pathetic mental capacity. "Lady Latymer." He said quietly.

Edward let out a cruel laugh. "The wife of the Lord Latymer, the one you were helping? My God Thomas, I thought you were an idiot to begin with, but apparently you're a complete imbecile! The woman's married!"

His brother's words only caused Thomas's cheeks to flush more so. "He is soon to be on his death bed, I'm sure of it."

"It does not matter." Edward said, shaking his head. "You can't do such things! Please tell me Tom that you haven't bedded the woman?"

"No, I haven't, we merely got a long quite well and she wished to see me again." Thomas explained.

"Good." Edward replied shortly, happy to hear that his brother had yet to shame their family name. "You should not see her again until her husband passes, if that is the case."

"Edward's right." Anne agreed, looking at Thomas. She hoped he would not object to their words, but rather, obey. "We can't have rumors flying around court about our family when we're the ones trying to suggest a new bride to the king. You have to be on your best behavior. You are only to go see her when you are told to go see Lord Latymer by the King. No exceptions."

Thomas began to reconsider apologizing for his bossy comment but he held his tongue. Edward would break his bones if he said anything more to offend him. "Alright." Thomas said, tiring of arguing. He was never very good at it. "I'll only go on the King's orders."

"I'm glad to hear that you've chosen to listen, for once." Edward said, as he turned around and sat down at his desk. He sighed and flicked his hand twice at Thomas. "Now get out."

Thomas turned quickly and marched to the door, opening, exiting, and then slamming it unnecessarily behind him. The minute the door was shut Anne turned to Edward in anger.

"How dare you use me as a tool to get him to feel bad!" Anne roared. "_Oh, my wife was worried. _No! I was not, and either way it was a completely useless attempt, as he no longer fancies me as he once did. It doesn't matter though – you still tried to do it and that is utterly offensive to me. You know well I hate to be used in other people's games. I am not a chess piece Edward, I am a _player_!"

Edward stood up from his seat the minute he recognized Anne's expression and came to her, allowing her to yell at him as long as she needed to. "I am sorry Anne, I was not thinking! His actions took me by surprise, as I'm sure they took you. Arrogance does not suit Thomas well."

"I agree, but still! You cannot play me in such a way, I won't tolerate it!" Anne continued. "That is not how you are supposed to treat me. I am not some foolish wife; I am your companion and your other half! Treat me fairly!"

Edward took her arms in his hands and tried to shush her, shaking his head. "I know. I was the fool to think that I could use you like that. I think that I did not think before I spoke, and for that I apologize. Even I make mistakes."

"You do!" Anne assured him, looking at him with wild eyes. "Apologizing won't do anything to fix it. What's done is done. Only time can fix your mistakes."

Edward chuckled, unable to hold it back.

"What's so funny?" Anne demanded, clearly unimpressed.

"You are when you say such deep things." Edward said, smirking a bit. Before Anne had a chance to continue complaining, he leaned in and kissed her on the lips. He pressed his body against hers lightly and ran one his hands through her hair. He had missed her touch so much while he was gone, he always did. When he finally allowed himself to break he gave Anne a sincere smile, one he only shared with her. "I know I can't go back and fix what I said, but if I could, I would. I love you, Anne."

Anne looked at him and sighed. "I always forgive you for your mistakes but you should know that eventually I might run out of apologies, so please Edward, think before you speak and act, for our sake. I love you too, very much, but I can't allow myself to forgive you every time you hurt me. It's a stab at my ego." _And my heart. _

"I understand, and I'll do my best for you, I promise." Edward said, kissing her nose. "I will not hurt you or neglect you, ever."

"I hope not." She said, smiling weakly at him. She placed her head on his shoulder and sighed quietly this time. All she could do was hope. Edward and her had already gone through one period of neglect, who's to say they wouldn't go through another? She hoped he would not forget he had made a promise, and that Anne took their promises between each other very seriously. If he broke this one, she would be quick to break something of his.


	22. Eye Patch & Love Match

From what Anne could see, Thomas seemed to have obeyed his brother's orders and remained far away from the married woman he seemed to be infatuated with. He stayed at court and returned to his normal, useless self, which Anne was actually relieved by. It was hard to imagine a world where Thomas acted arrogant around the clock. She would certainly have had to kill him.

1542 seemed to come and go as quickly as Anne seemed to become pregnant again. Whenever her and Edward fought it seemed to be the consequence of resolving it, and she was ten times more aggravated than the last time. She had found out she was with child the day before Christmas Eve, and she was in a foul mood for all of the celebrations.

"Don't you want your gifts?" Edward asked very carefully. Anne wasn't even showing a bit yet and her temper was already like an active volcano.

"No." She replied sourly. "Why would I want them? In a few months I won't be able to wear half the things you got me and then a few months after that I'll be on bed rest, so I won't be able to do anything! There's no point! Every time I think I escape this I'm back where I started."

Edward took a deep breath in and out. "Being with child is a good thing, Anne. You have given me two sons and two daughters!"

She furrowed her brow. "You've got to be kidding me. I would have liked to stop after the second son." She crossed her arms and looked away, out into the crowd of people dancing in the hall. "You can leave me for a bit. Come back once you realize this is nothing but a _**burden!**_"

Edward sighed and stood up, shaking his head as he walked away, probably in the direction of the King, who sat alone on his throne, surprisingly enough. They still hadn't found someone worthy of his very high standards, and the search was beginning to wear Edward down.

Anne turned her head slowly back to watch Edward leave. She hadn't truly wanted him to leave, but it was necessary. She wouldn't have him sitting here trying to convince her that a child was a gift, it would just annoy her even more. She looked around for Thomas, or some other company, but her friends were few and without Edward beside her, she found herself very alone, which was, until a man came up to her, sweeping into a bow. He wore robes of red for the occasion, but when he swung back up, Anne realized he wore black too: over his eye.

"I didn't know we had pirates at court." She said flatly.

The man's reaction was not offended. He let out a bellowing laugh. "I am no pirate, my lady, although I do say we share many common goals."

Anne tilted her head slightly, raising an eyebrow. "Humor me. Such as what?"

The man smirked to himself. "Searching for booty was the one that came to mind."

"So you're one of those men?" She observed more than asked. "Fun."

"I see you're _not_ one of those women? What kind of woman are you?" He asked, as he lowered himself smoothly into Edward's seat. "Humor me."

Anne scowled at his reuse of her words. "I am a _**married**_ woman, sir."

"Married schmarried." He said, shaking his head. "Do you really think that matters to me?"

"I suppose not, since you seem to have no morals whatsoever." Anne said, shrugging. She looked away from the man for a moment, but then looked back. "Who are you?"

The man smiled at her, pleased that she turned back to ask him that. It could only mean she was somewhat amused by his personality. "Sir Francis Bryan, my lady. But wait; do not tell me who you are. I know well that you are the wife of Lord Hertford over there." He threw a quick glance over to Edward who was in conversation with the King and paid little attention to anything else. "Are you two happy together?"

Anne had followed Francis's gaze to Edward, and she saw him, deep in conversation and quite distracted, she bit the inside of her lip uncomfortably. Though it seemed that Edward and Anne had sorted out Edward's workaholic problem, she still had her doubts, ones that she could not help having, and ones she would never talk about with Edward. He would think she was worrying too much. "Of course we are happy." She snapped at him. "It's not your place to ask questions like that, Sir Francis."

He shrugged carelessly. "If you say so, my lady, but if you'd like my opinion, from afar, it looks as if you may be quite unhappy on the inside. It seems that there are words that have gone unspoken between the two of you, and problems you need to sort out."

Anne scowled again. "That's enough about my husband out of you, or else I'll have him over here and he will not be pleased by your words."

Francis chuckled, leaning back in his seat. He touched one of the strings of his eye patch and grinned. "Have him over here then, but do not think that will stop me from seeing you again."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"You interest me, a lot. I would love to pick your brain sometime, among other things I would like to do to you." Francis replied smoothly, eyeing Anne with interest. He stood up from his seat suddenly and bowed to her once more. "I have things to do for His Majesty, but when you do come to realize that you're in an unhappy marriage, I'll be around. Lady Hertford." Francis nodded his head and turned on his heel, disappearing into the crowd.

Edward, of course, noticed the man many minutes too late. He returned to the table and looked around, having only seen him leave. "Who was that?" he asked.

"No one." Anne said, shaking her head, though she was not sure rather she was shaking it at the idea of the idiotic Sir Francis who had just spoken to her, or at the fact it had taken so long for Edward to notice there had been a man speaking to her. "He was no one."

Edward raised an eyebrow but decided not to question his wife, as he trusted her and had no reason to bother her about a man who had probably only spoken to her for a few moments, about nothing of importance.

1543 came at last and Anne was relieved when all the celebrations for Christmas and the New Year finally came to an end. Edward was not as relieved, as the end of the celebrating meant he had to return on his hunt to find the King a new wife. He moaned and groaned about it for a day before he left the palace for a few weeks, leaving Anne with no company except Thomas, who seemed miserable up until the end of April, when his mood did a complete three-sixty.

"What are you smiling about?" Anne asked as Thomas came into their family's joint privy chamber.

"Oh, nothing." He said, still beaming.

Anne stood up from her seat and looked at him fiercely. "Why won't you just tell me? I'm not Edward. I won't poke fun."

Thomas looked at her with his eyebrows raised. "Really, you won't? That's hard to believe as you and Edward are pretty much exactly the same."

"No we are not." Anne snapped back rather quickly. Thomas even looked surprised by her reaction.

"Okay, okay." He said, holding his hands up to calm her. "I'll tell you then, but I'll let you know now, you can't do anything to stop me from doing what I'm about to do."

"Fine." Anne said. She was thirsty for the information, and could care less about Thomas's actions after he told her, as long as he told her. "Tell me."

"Baron Latymer is dead." He said, trying to repress the smile Anne knew he wished to bear. "Katherine wrote to me."

Anne looked at him for a moment and laughed. "And what will you do now that this Katherine is a free woman?"

"I'll marry her of course, but first I need to spend more time with her and make sure she's interested. She'll need to mourn for her husband first too, but after, I'll ask for her hand." Thomas explained.

Anne sighed, but since she had promised she wouldn't poke fun, she kept to her word. "Very well Thomas." She said. "Are you going to tell Edward when he returns?"

"Maybe." He said, shrugging. "I haven't decided yet."

"He's your brother, and he's the head of the family. He needs to know." Anne said, somewhat warningly. _If he won't tell him, he must know I will._ "You should tell him. He'll like to hear it from you more than I."

Thomas sighed and nodded. "When he returns then, I'll tell him."

"Good." Anne replied, taking her seat once more. "You know, I'd love to meet her. Will she come to court now that her husbands passed?"

Thomas looked at Anne carefully. He wasn't sure if introducing Katherine to her was a good idea at all. They were very different in many ways. "I've no idea, Anne. She has only written to me to tell me of her husband's passing. We didn't speak of anything else."

"I think you should tell her to come to court." Anne said, smirking. "It'd be nice to have a female friend around, and you do think we would be friends, don't you?"

Thomas gulped. "Of course, Anne." He said, nervously. "I'm sure you two would get a long fabulously."


	23. A Force to Be Reckoned With

Mid-February, 1543, as Anne had been listening intently to rumors as she usually did, she came to learn that her brother-in-law's love interest, Lady Latymer, had earned herself a position in the household of her own good friend, the Lady Mary. Anne had no real feelings about this news; she could care less about the woman, although she loved to bother Thomas about the idea of her.

"I hear your hearts desire has come closer than ever?" Anne asked Thomas one evening, as she sat with her husband and him at their own dinner table in their rooms at court. "What do you say of this?"

Thomas looked up from his food, barely able to disguise his contentment over the situation. Edward watched him, letting out a short "ha".

"Are you at a loss for words, brother?" Edward asked, a curious smirk on his face. "Are you going to wed the woman?"

Thomas swallowed his food and shrugged, a smirk on his face to match his brothers. "That is for me to now, Ed, and for you and your nosy wife, to be curious about."

Anne and Edward laughed in chorus at this, Edward pausing only to take a gulp of red wine. He looked to his wife, and then to his brother, but he said nothing. He knew Anne would want to take the center stage and reply to this one, since Thomas had made a snarky remark towards her.

Anne smiled at her husbands gaze, and then returned her attention to Thomas, frowning. "Nosy is not a word I would use to describe myself." She said shortly. "You best watch your words and tone with me, brother, for I am at the ear of the Lady Mary, and if you dare to make a comment such as that again, I will make sure that your lovely lady is sent as far away from court as possible."

However, Anne's threats had little effect on Thomas now. He was on cloud nine, and nothing his brother or sister-in-law could say would have brought him down. At last, Katherine was close to him, and she was free to marry, and he was a most eligible and now well-placed and wealthy bachelor. He grinned at the thought, and without another word, turned back to his food.

This happiness Thomas felt would not last for long, and his dreams were just as quickly crushed as they were created. It took no time for the lonely King's eyes to wander to his daughters new lady, and in Katherine, like Thomas, he found exactly what he had been looking for. A stable, able woman, not a young and foolish harlot.

He began to court the lady, and was quick to realize that an obstacle stood in his way in the form of Thomas Seymour. His realization of this brought him to speak to his faithful servant, the Earl of Hertford.

Henry had Edward called into his presence chambers, where he sat, uncomfortably as usual, with his throbbing leg up on another chair. Despite the intense pain he now almost constantly felt, and his tiring body, Henry managed to look as regal as ever, and Edward was quick to notice this as he entered the room. He swept an enormous bow, which revealed to the King, that his most faithful servant had not come alone, but with his wife. Anne curtseyed behind him, her eyes on the floor. Her presence made no difference to the King, if anything, she would be able to provide him with the information he needed perhaps to a better ability than her husband.

"Your majesty." Edward said as he rose up.

"Edward!" Henry grunted happily. He gestured with his left hand to two seats across from him, looking at Anne too. "Please, sit. I have some questions to ask the both of you."

Edward and Anne both took a seat, Edward looking faithfully to the King, while Anne looked between the King and her husband in a slow motion.

Henry cleared his throat. "I must be straight forward with you, Hertford." He began, as he shifted slightly in his seat. Anne watched him carefully. He was such a large man now, she wondered at how the seat was even able to hold him.

"Of course, your majesty." Edward replied.

"I see that your brother Thomas has taken an interest in a lady of the Lady Mary's household." He said shortly. He knew he need not say much more than that, because he knew that Edward and Anne, as the eyes and ears of the court, would have already known this whether Thomas has told them or not. Despite this, he specified, "Catherine Parr, married to Baron Latimer before."

Edward did not hesitate in his response, ready to throw his brother under the bus whenever there was an opportunity to do so. "He has indeed had an interest in the lady since before her first husband was deceased." He said frankly, a straight face. "He has courted her for sometime."

"And has he asked for her hand?" The King asked, curiously.

Edward looked to Anne, and she piped up. "I do not believe so, Your Majesty, though he has certainly been entertaining the idea as of late."

Henry grunted, letting out a deep chuckle, as he often did in his youth. He laughed much less as of late, another stress to add to Edward's day, a King in a bad mood. He looked hopeful to hear the sound of the King's laugh once more.

The King leaned closer to the couple, a small smirk on his face. "I have it in my head to ask the lady to become my Queen." He admitted, smiling now. "But I cannot have her refuse me, for I would not wish to have to sentence her away from court, as she pleases my eyes, and I hear she is smart, wise and able, and I look for these very characteristics in a wife."

Anne was sure that at this moment, her and Edward had the same thought go through their head. _Which one of his wives had any of these characteristics, despite his first? _Anne forced herself not to smile, or let out any bit of a chuckle. She could see the veins on the side of Edward's neck begin to show, and she knew then for sure that he had the same thought. Despite this, they pressed on.

Edward nodded once. "Would your Majesty like for me to make sure my brother stays out of the way?"

Henry laughed again, lifting his left hand and shaking his finger at Edward, as he made a tut sound with his mouth. "Ah, no I wished only to confirm your brothers interest in the lady." Henry said. He grinned devilishly. "And I wished for you both to inform him of his new position he will be serving for me."

Anne raised an eyebrow curiously, and spoke before her husband, which did not bother him. "And what position is that, your majesty?" she asked, returning the King's grin with a smirk.

With some difficult, the King rose from his seat, after having pulled his bad leg off the chair in front of him. With his hand at his side he limped a few steps away, facing the wall. He looked up at a portrait of his own father, Henry VII. "I will send him on a diplomatic mission of much importance." The King said, turning towards the Seymour's once more. "You may tell him this, and tell him of his destination… the Netherlands."

The King looked very content with this whole plan of his, throwing this obstacle that was Thomas easily out of the way. It had been some time since he had schemed like this, as with his most recent wife, he had instead, it seemed, been the victim of her scheming. "Will you pass this new on to him?" the King asked.

Edward rose from his seat and bowed, Anne following shortly after him. Edward was good at sensing when the King was ending a conversation, and he knew that he did not want to continue this lovely meeting with small talk. "Your majesty." He said, needing not confirm or deny his reply. The King knew well enough that Edward would pass on this message, however he may not have known the amount of joy and happiness that passing on such a message to his brother would give him.

Edward and Anne left the room, Anne immediately sliding her arm through her husbands as they walked down the halls towards their own rooms. She leaned her head towards her husbands, placing it almost lightly on his shoulder. She could feel the warmth, happiness and excitement burning with in him. Sending Thomas away had likely been his dream since childhood, and she could tell that although he was straight faced, he was more than beaming inside. This warmth flowed through to her, and curiously, straight to her groin. She sighed quietly, fearing what such passion could bring.

As they entered their chamber, she closed the door behind her, and Edward turned, finally beaming as he had been internally for the past few minutes. "Will be rid of him, at last!" He shouted. "He's my brother, but God, he can be a fool, and I'll be happy to have him gone for some time. I wanted him to marry so he would stop staring at you, but having him in the Netherlands is an even better option."

Anne smiled at her husband, who as he spoke, approached her. Their hands touched each others arms, and that warmth Anne had felt before, continued, thriving. It had been some time since Anne had felt this, probably because she spent most, if not all her time, in that burdensome state of pregnancy. And this is what it brought it on. _How ironic_, she thought.

"Will you be as happy as I to see him go for sometime?" Edward asked, looking at her. His eyes reminded her of times long ago now, when they first met. He had always looked at her like this, but now she shared this attention with not only the King, but her husband's paperwork.

She nodded, her desire building within her. She did not want to give in so easily though, to this powerful feeling that always overwhelmed her, that made her a soft being, that she was not usually. She had felt for sometime as if Edward was neglecting her as a wife, his nephew's inheritance being more important than her to him, and although she had brought a similar thought to him before, she hadn't won that battle, and she wished to win it now.

At this thought, she pulled away from him slightly, looking down. She had to hide the dazzle in her eye that occurred with that feeling of desire.

"What is it, wife?" Edward asked, placing his hand beneath her chin. He stroked it slightly. He was always one to act as if nothing was wrong between them.

"It has nothing to do with the matter of Thomas." Anne began, just to clear that topic out of the way. She didn't want to put Edward in a fit of rage and jealousy. She wanted him to listen, and obey. She turned her gaze to him, taking a breath in. Their locked gaze was such a powerful thing. "It has to do with the two of us, Edward."

He raised an eyebrow for a moment, and then frowned slightly. "We've spoke of this Anne." He said, shortly, removing his hand from her face. He let go of her completely, but they still stood very still, and their gaze remained unbroken. "We've spoke of this so many times recently that I have lost count!"

She returned his frown. "Yet, we have not come to a resolution that I am content with. All you do is apologize to me, and do nothing to change, to fix our relationship. We were once such a powerful couple-" she began, but he cut her off.

"And we still are." He said, firmly. He took her wrists in his hand and shook them slightly, not in a forceful manner, but still a firm one. "There is nothing more to discuss."

But Anne was not happy with this, and she ripped her hands away from him, looking at him now, with anger, which covered her desire. It still rippled beneath her fierce surface, though. "Who died and made you King?!" she demanded, furiously. "I will not have you end our conversation, for it is a discussion and not a one-sided battle where you always win, getting to avoid it once more!"

This time, Edward did not say a word; he only looked at her, waiting for her to burst out in one of her fits. It was as if she was pregnant once more, in the heat of one of her mood swings.

She raised a finger at him, and began. "Edward fucking Seymour, I will not have you boss me around. Have you ever known me to be one to be bossed around? Now I have let you avoid this topic forever, but let it be known that all I want from this, is not to confront you or accuse you of anything, for I trust you with all that I am, but I wish to fix us." She lowered her hand and looked at him, her pupils wide. He could almost see the flames dancing around in them. He continued on with his silence, knowing she was not finished. "I've told you before that I wish for us to be as we were. A power couple, that work together. I wish not to be abandoned for your work, I wish to help you in it when I can. I wish not for you to forget about me and leave my child-filled body whilst you go on progress with the King. I wish you to trust in my strength and to bring me if I am willing. I wish for you to consult me in your decisions." She paused, and in typical Anne fashion, raised her nose slightly and said contently, "I do more than wish, Edward Seymour. I demand it. I demand it as your wife, of the status that I was born into. When I married you I knew I had met my match, and I knew you felt the same, and it was something you never thought you would feel, as it was for me. I now demand only that you respect that I am your match, and return to treating me as such, for I do not appreciate nor tolerate being overlooked for the work, for your nephew the future King, or for the current King!"

Her right eye twitching slightly, she let out her breath she had taken in at the beginning, and placed her hands at the side of her gown, began to turn away, hoping to take a seat somewhere as she had just exhausted herself in this fit. _Finally I have said all that I have wanted to say_, she thought as she turned. _Now I leave it to him_.

And as she had hoped, deep within her cold heart, Edward took the reins immediately and stopped her as she turned, this time grabbing her arms as he had the first time he bedded her. She once again felt his warmth flow through her, and she could barely hide her smile as she turned. So, though her gaze was one of furiousness, she smiled as she looked at her husband now.

He could not help but return this smile for a moment. He drew her closer to him, and she feared perhaps, he was angry with her. That she had gone too far in her orders, and that he would now return her fit of rage with one of his own. To her surprise, he quickly lowered his head to her ear, and pulling her as close as possible, their bodies touching, he whispered into her ear. "Forgive me, my sweet wife." He said, breathing heavily. For a moment, Anne was distracted from his words by the feeling of his moist breath upon her ear and neck. She could also feel that his masculinity was beginning to throb. She closed her eyes for a moment, attempting to keep her focus on the here and now; her mind in control of the situation, as opposed to anything else. "Forgive me." He repeated himself, lowering his lips to kiss her neck. "You know that I love you so much, and that you are, and will always be my first priority. I have let my dedication to His Majesty and my nephew distract me from my one true jewel." At this, he lifted his head to look at her, his eyes sincere, something that was rare for him. "Can you forgive me for all this, and for only apologizing to you before? I will now not only ask for your forgiveness, but beg. And I will act immediately upon my words, as I am only a true and honest being at all times, to you."

Anne looked at him, her desire overcoming her. She knew he was going to be true to his word this time, she could just feel it. Either that, or she was just completely overcome by the extreme desire to have him in bed in any way, immediately. She did not speak a word, still exhausted from her rant, but instead raised her hands and placing them on his face, pulled him in for a kiss, which she pressed so deeply into his lips. It took only this for Edward to recognize he had got through to her, and that she believed him, and that he believed himself! Their desire was shared, and he wasted no time getting his wife to bed. Instead, he hoisted Anne up into his arms and allowed her to untie his trousers, and he shifted her gowns out of the way. He would enter her like this, and she was more than ready for it.

She grinned with pleasure as he entered her slowly, and then fast and fiercely, as if it were their first time once more. There sex was always passionate and rough at times, but this time truly reminded her on the first time. Their desire for each other was back at full force, and with every thrust, she moaned in desire, knowing just this. Edward moaned too, as if they were sharing thoughts through their movements. His thoughts of Thomas leaving, of the King's now future marriage and wife, and of his nephew and his work, had faded away so quickly. He could now think only of Anne, only of his movements within her, only of his seed entering her, just as it had on their wedding night. Part of him hoped that for once, she would not be so fertile so that they could share many more nights like this one before he would have to let her go for sometime to pregnancy once more. With one final thrust, his hands gripping tightly onto her buttocks, he finished, letting out a loud moan of his own, in unison with Anne. She threw her head down on his shoulder in exhaustion, and he smiled to himself, as he continued to hold her up, his trousers at his ankles.

All he could think was that nothing could bring them down now. _Nothing_. He thought, still smiling. They were a force to be reckoned with.


	24. Farewell, Thomas

Anne awoke after the wonderful night with Edward, turning over to her other side, her eyes slowly opening. She had expected, as usual, to find her bed empty, but Edward was still there beside her, his eyes open. He looked at her sweetly, and reached out to stroke her left cheek. "My love." He said, his voice hoarse as it is with the first words of the morning.

She could not help but smile at his touch and words, and at the sweet sound of his morning voice that she had missed so much. She reached up and grabbed his hand, bringing it gingerly to her lips. "My love." She repeated, looking into his eyes with her powerful gaze. The light of the morning sun had begun to seep through the windows, and Anne could feel the warmth of it touching her shoulders. She could see Edward's eyes move from hers, and following the sparkling, dancing of the sun light for a moment. He then returned his gaze to her.

"I must get up." He admitted, reluctantly. "I must do as the King bid and tell Thomas of the journey that awaits him. I'm sure you understand the urgency of this?"

Still holding his hand, she nodded lightly. "I do, husband." She said. She pondered for a moment, on how Thomas would take this news. He certainly would not take it in good cheer, which Edward would like. Nothing brought more pleasure to him, with the exception of herself, than making his brother utterly miserable. "May I come?"

Edward grinned, and pulled Anne towards him. "I would like nothing better." He said, honestly. Their bodies exchanged electric currents of excitement, but Anne used her self-control and pushed herself away from Edward and out of bed. She could feel his eyes on her as she rose, her naked body now covered in the sunlight that had previously only danced upon her shoulder.

"Where are you going?" He asked, sadly, from behind her. He extended his arms to her, but she could not see. She went over to the pile of her gowns on the ground and picked them up to examine them. _Rips._ She noted, shaking her head slightly, a smile on her face. It had been a long time since Edward had torn her dress off and destroyed it. She turned to her husband, holding up the gown.

"You ripped it!" She exclaimed, shaking it in the air.

Edward had a hard time keeping his eyes on the ripped piece of garment when her naked body was the true centerpiece of his vision. "I'm sorry!" He shouted, and then laughed. He turned onto his back and looked up at the ceiling. "Perhaps you need to stop being so desirable."

Anne rolled her eyes and threw the gowns onto a nearby table as she headed over to her chest to search for a new gown. "You have best get up." She said, as she opened the chest and leaned down into it, flipping through her options.

In this time, Edward had snuck from his place on their bed and come up behind Anne, wrapping his arms around her waist. He allowed one of his hands to snake its way up to her breast, and gave it a tender fondle. When he spoke to her, he whispered in her ear, as he had done the night before. "I am up." He said.

And he was. _In more way than one!_ Anne thought, as she felt the push of his masculinity as it rose against her back. She felt a shiver of delight go down her spine and she sighed, turning towards him. She placed her hand on his masculinity and shook her head. "You will have to wait for that." She ordered, her gaze piercing. "We are on business of His Majesty, and as his most faithful servant, I would expect you to be more prompt and timely in delivering his requests." She stroked him for a moment and then released him, watching his expression of pleasure on his face. She smiled to herself as she turned back around to her chest.

Edward growled, but released his wife. He placed a quick kiss on the back of her head, and turned away. "How I have missed you." He said quietly, almost to himself. _How I have missed us._ He admitted, only in his head.

Anne and Edward did not bother to call Thomas to see them, for they knew only to expect him to be tardy. Instead, they hunted him down in his own chambers and virtually cornered him. Anne closed the door to his chambers after her and Edward entered.

Thomas had been sitting at his desk, with quill to paper. Who he was writing to, Anne could care less about. She stood near the door as Edward took several steps closer to his brother. Thomas heard his footsteps, but did not look up from his paper. "What is it, brother?" Thomas asked.

Edward chuckled. "Will you not even turn to face me? I am an Earl after all."

Anne could see Thomas's shoulders shift uncomfortably for a moment, as if he was contemplating his next move. To her surprise, he turned around and rose from his seat. He swept a great bow to his brother, and rose up with a grin. "What can I help you with, my lord?" He joked.

Edward's smiling face quickly disappeared. He hated when his brother pestered him like this. "Idiot." He said, looking at him with an expression that could be described as utter disgust.

Anne spoke up, taking a few steps towards the other too. She looked conniving. "We bring news to you from His Majesty." She said, her voice sweet. She looked to her husband, then back to Thomas. "Tell him, Edward."

Edward came close to Thomas, placing his hand on his shoulder in an almost brotherly fashion. He looked into his eyes, and told him of his fate, as Anne watched on from the sidelines. She had left the punch line to her husband, as she knew he had waited for a moment such as this for his entire life. When he was done, Thomas's mouth gaped and he remained speechless for a moment. He looked disappointed, heartbroken; perhaps a combination of the two. For a single second, Anne felt a little bad for him, but she quickly rid herself of that thought. He was a fool to court a married woman, and then a fool to court her even when her husband was dead, for she was a strong beauty, and a smart one. _Much too good for him, much more fit for a King, _she thought.

When Edward had finished delivering his speech to his brother, he had taken a few steps back, to distance them. He smirked to himself, happy with his performance and joyous at Thomas's dumbfound reaction. He added, when even he could not stand the silence for much long: "I believe His Majesty would like to see you on your way as soon as possible. Perhaps even today!" He could not hide the excitement in his voice.

His brother frowned in reaction, looking from his brother to his sister-in-law in confusion. "What roles have you two placed in this?" He asked, or rather demanded. "Did you do this only to ruin my chances with Katherine?"

Edward gawked. "No, you fucking fool." He spit. "You did this all on your own, I was just blessed with the gift of telling you the bad news myself." He walked over to Anne and put his arm around her waist. She smiled confidently.

"Don't be too heartbroken Thomas." She cooed. "After all, Edward is right. If you had not be such a fool and so openly courted Katherine, you may have saved yourself from this feat."

Thomas furrowed his brow. "How?" He asked. "Why does the King care if I court the woman?"

Edward shook his head in disappointment at his brothers increased stupidity. "Do you not understand the way the King works after all this time? Do you not remember when he wished to marry our own sister? Do you remember what he did then?"

For a moment, Thomas said nothing once more, but finally it dawned on him. Once again, his jaw dropped in amazement. When he closed it, he shook his head. "It cannot be." He muttered. "Are you telling me that the King wishes to court my lady Katherine?"

Anne raised her eyebrows, as if to say, _of course, what other reason would there be? _

"My God." Thomas said under his voice. He shook his head and looked down at the floor as he began to pace his own rooms. He paused and looked back up at his brother, a sheepish look of hopelessness on his face. "I cannot go, she cannot marry him."

"But she will." Edward replied simply. "No woman on this earth would in their right mind refuse the King his wishes."

Anne nodded. "And if you are wise, you will leave and let him have his prize without complications."

Thomas continued his look of disbelief, but suddenly, his face changed. He now looked angry, enraged. For a moment, Anne could see the resemblance between her husband and his brother. "You two want me gone! Edward, you've always wanted me gone! And just when I find something that may make me happy, that may make me, in marriage, _a wealthier man than you!_"

Anne gasps, and claps her hand over her mouth in horror at his comment. Before Edward could hold her back, she released herself from his arm and approached her brother-in-law. She looked up at him, for he was a tall man, and she was only an average height woman. But if you could see their personalities beside one another, you would see that Anne overpowered him on that playing field. She could feel the heat rising in her body. She clasped her fists, staring into Thomas's eyes. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?" She asked, furious.

"You know well what it means, wench." He retorted. "You are nothing more than a heartless bitch. I was a fool to have been enchanted by your beauty for so long, for beyond that, you have nothing!"

In a swift movement, Anne raised her right hand to Thomas and backhanded him across the face. In that moment, Edward had taken a few large strides over to his brother and wife, and grabbed Thomas by the neck of his shirt. Thomas's was taller than his brother, but Edward was a much more powerful man in both status and stature. Anne could see the beads of sweat forming on her husband's head as he raised his brother off the floor and slammed him into the wall behind him. He held him there for a moment, their gazes connected. He readjusted his grip and shook his brother. "How fucking dare you speak of my wife in such away!" He screamed. He released Thomas from his grip and let him fall to the ground, turning on his heel to return to his wife.

Thomas rose to his feet and although Edward tended to Anne, he heard him approach him. Just as Thomas came up behind Edward to grab him by the shoulders and engage in a brotherly brawl, Edward turned and landed a tight fisted punch right on his jawline. Fuming, he turned back to his wife and, with his arm around her waist, led her quickly from the room. He could not bear to look nor be in the presence of his brother at this moment. _He can say all he wanted! _He thought angrily. _But he is going away, and I do hope that he will stay in the Netherlands for the rest of his being._


End file.
